Showcase
by Bounemr
Summary: This is a Miraculous Ladybug Pokemon AU, taking the characters from ML and placing them in the pokemon world. With Adrien as a Performer, known on the internet as his stage identity "Chat Noir", and Marinette dreaming of being a fashion designer, both of them have to make very important decisions. Gifted with mega evolution, they must defend their home, Lumiose City.
1. Good News

Adrien would reluctantly admit that he had a tendency to being flashy. So yes, he _did_ like modelling for the photos and videos that advertised his father's company. He enjoyed being in the spotlight; he enjoyed showing the world what he could do. Still, those were advertisements. They were stiff, they were frozen, they were, at their core, _boring_.

Thus, Chat Noir was born.

Though he liked flashiness, he could admit that Chat Noir sometimes erred on the side of flashy. With over-the-top performances and far too many cat puns, Adrien loved to record his own videos, posted on a personal channel, totally separate and unaffiliated with the one he was famous for.

The identity, as much as he loved it, was mostly an accident. He wanted to get out of the house one day, so he wore all black, including a cat-eared hoodie he had bought as a joke but was never actually allowed to wear outside the mansion for his "image". Paired with dark sunglasses to hide his eyes, he basically just went undercover. As famous people sometimes do so people wouldn't recognize them on the street.

It was only after Chat Noir's debut PR video that he started to really embrace the persona. In secret, he bought a black choker with a bright brass bell, and ditched the sunglasses in favor of a superhero-esque mask, with lots of black eyeshadow (and some eyeliner as well) to cover the exposed skin around his eyes. He fashioned a fake tail out of an especially pliable belt (something which his fans _constantly_ teased him about. He jokingly got a furry tail once but was so used to the belt at that point that wearing the new one was just awkward and he couldn't get it to move quite right when he danced.). He even, occasionally, adopted his newer, fancier leather jacket instead of his plain hoodie. He had gotten a cat ear hood attached to the jacket and his fans really liked him in leather, for some reason. His standard hoodie, though, was a bit easier to move in so if he was getting acrobatic, he'd go back to the basics.

The only problem was that since his videos were largely performances, he was constantly harassed to do live performances and meet-ups, which Adrien would be over the moon to do but couldn't because Chat Noir absolutely had to remain anonymous. Despite his popularity, having Chat Noir connected to his company would _not_ make his father a happy man. To arrange such events would be too difficult while keeping up his identity so he just abstained completely.

And besides, even though he did get a lot of messages asking about performances and meet-ups, he never thought of himself as anything more than an internet sensation. It was nothing compared to the weight the name "Agreste" carried in Lumiose City. And it wasn't until he received a message from some people all the way in Hoenn, asking him to be a judge for a Pokémon Contest, that Adrien thought maybe his influence was a bit bigger than Lumiose alone. _The internet reaches all corners of the Earth, I guess. I didn't think PR videos were very popular outside Kalos though._

 _Wouldn't it be cool to actually participate in a contest though? I'm obviously more influenced by Showcases, but they might actually let me enter a contest. I'd do it as Chat though. Dad might even let me but I couldn't do it how I wanted to if he was watching over it the entire time. I wonder if they have any rules against anonymity. I might have to let them know who I am to register but I don't see why I shouldn't be able to perform with an alias._

 _Still stupid that Showcases are girls only. So unfair._

 _I'm totally going to make a video about this. I can't even participate in a contest because I can't just leave Kalos. And I can't be in a Showcase because only girls can be performers. So dumb. Not cool._

Adrien drummed his fingers on his desk and frowned. _Gyms are just boring. Seriously, I'd rather perform than battle. I should mention this to Chloe. She'd start a revolution. "Just wait until I talk to my father about this. They won't keep Adrien Agreste out. Who do they even think they are?" Pfft, but then I'd set myself up for failure, since I'd have to do it as Adrien, if she could even get that done. No, it has to be Chat._

 _Nothing to do about it, I guess. At least I can perform on the internet._

Adrien felt his chest constrict as he politely turned down the offer to judge the Slateport Contest. _Even if I don't perform, it would still be amazing to actually see one in person. I haven't even been able to go to Showcases._

When he arrived at school, he greeted Nino and the day with a smile and enthusiasm, as always, and focused instead on his school work.

* * *

Adrien's life was pretty routine. He would go to school, do whatever modeling jobs his father put into his schedule, and work everything else in the spaces in between. After his extracurricular lessons, that left only a little time, but Adrien made it work. Mostly, thankfully, so long as he didn't cause trouble, he could use his time however he wanted.

So of course, he split it up between hanging out with his friends and rehearsing for his performances as Chat Noir.

And of course, having to manage his time so carefully, Adrien was an expert multitasker. That was why he was checking his email on his phone while carrying on a conversation with Nino, Alya, and Marinette. There was a short lull, so he took the opportunity to check his newest mail. And he very nearly choked on his croissant.

"Oh man, you okay, dude?" Nino patted him on the back, and after a few moments, Adrien managed to breathe again.

"Y-yeah, fine." He very quickly locked his phone and shoving it into his bag. _Man I wish I could tell them, but they don't know about Chat._

The others gave him more concerned glances but let it go. _I need to look at the email again, oh my god. Did it really say what I think it said? Can I make it then? Arceus, probably not, I need to check the time again. Please, please, please let it be during my free time._ While his friends were talking, Adrien subtly pulled his phone out again and opened it, rereading the message.

 _"Mr. Chat Noir, We of the Pokemon Showcase Organizational Committee would like to invite you to be a guest performer at next month's start of the season Lumiose Showcase. The performance will be on Friday, October 14 at 7:00pm. You would be expected to arrive no later than 5:30pm. If you are interested, please respond ASAP for more information." October fourteen, October fourteen, oh Arceus, please. Any major things for Dad should be marked already and as long as I tell Natalie that I'm busy that day they shouldn't schedule anything over it._ He quickly brought up his calendar and scrolled down to the date in question. _Nothing, good._

He created a new event, knowing that it would update the calendar that Natalie used for him as well so he didn't need to say anything about it to her directly (he resolved to anyway, just to be sure), and named it the same thing he named all his practice days. _"Meet with Juleka"._ He thought for a moment, and added the word "important" before creating the event. It wasn't technically a lie, after all, Juleka was often there when he practiced. She was sort of his personal judge, and she gave him some criticism and helped him create his performances. Mostly though, she liked making him look good. She did his makeup and occasionally even changed his outfit. It was kind of fun. A lot of his persona's design alterations in the last several months had been her ideas and he liked switching things up. She also did some major remodeling of his account on the video sharing site he used. And it was, quite frankly, a lot easier to do his performances with another person helping out behind the scenes. _I have to tell her about this._

Quickly forwarding the email to her, he sent her a quick text telling her to look at it. It only took a few minutes for his phone to buzz.

J – That's so rad! Can you do it though?  
A – I should, unless someone changes my schedule last minute.  
J – Your fans will be so excited. You should make a video about it when you accept the offer  
A – I will if I can. should probably ask if it's okay first.  
J – True. We need to get you a new outfit too. And don't say it, you are NOT wearing your ragged old hoodie to a stage performance  
A – why not?  
J – I can't believe you're the son of a famous designer  
A – Juleeeeeeeeesssssssss teasing is mean.  
J – No class. At all. You're getting a new outfit. We'll talk more about it next rehearsal. Still on tomorrow night?  
A – yeah, same time.  
J – This is so exciting. I can't wait to see you perform, you'll do amazing  
J – Oh man, Poochyena found The Stash again, I have to go stop him. See you, Skitty  
J – Speaking of skitty though, maybe you could ask Marinette to make you some new clothes?

Adrien held back a chuckle, knowing perfectly well how much trouble Juleka's poochyena liked to get into. _At least he's not cuddling Goodra again. We spent hours trying to clean out his fur._ He turned his gaze back up to his friends. Especially Marinette. _I could ask her. I do love her clothes, but I don't think I really want any more people knowing about me being Chat Noir. But no, I couldn't ask her to do that for me. I don't really_ need _new clothes anyway. I don't have to wear the "ragged old hoodie"; the fans like me better in leather anyway. But then, for a stage performance I should go all out, I absolutely need full movement. Oh, to do or not to do. Whatever, I'll talk with Juleka._

Adrien just glanced over all his friends again, fidgeting in his chair. _Arceus, I love you all but I really just want to go home and reply to that email!_

He did, somehow, manage to stay seated for the rest of his time with his friends. Despite his excitement, he would never take the time he had with them for granted, so he did his best to focus on them. In the end, he was fairly certain that no one suspected he had a super exciting secret that made him want to jump onto the rooftops and scream.

When it was finally time to head home, though, he was on cloud nine. The moment he got through the doors, he flew up to his room and opened his email, sending a quick reply saying that yes he was very interested and asking whether he could inform his fans that he'll be performing there.

And he was so excited that, for the first time in over a year, he had to bribe Plagg, his absol, into bed so he could snuggle with the large pokémon (Adrien always fell asleep easier with Plagg next to him.) Burying himself in Plagg's soft fur, Adrien let his mind work on new ideas for his performances until he eventually drifted off.

The next morning, the first thing he did was check his email. _Nothing._ He frowned, getting ready for the day instead. After a shower and brushing his teeth, Adrien picked up Allie, his little eevee, and fussed over her a little. Allie was given to him by Chloe a while ago, and she was still a little young to do a lot of the more intensive performances that Adrien did, so she never appeared in his videos. Luckily, that meant she was totally safe to have out at any time, because people wouldn't see her as a pokémon he has in common with Chat Noir. _Alya has already pointed that out one too many times. I can get away with my team now but if I add any new members and then have them perform, one of my friends will catch on._

 _Whatever. I still have my trump card. "Were would I have gotten a roserade? Or a poochyena? I obviously don't have those pokémon, I can't be Chat Noir." Thanks Juleka. And thank you to your wonderful and talented pokémon. Those were fun performances._ He finished getting ready and picked up his bag, checking to make sure he had all his pokéballs, before heading off to school.

Normally, when he'd get to school he'd immediately seek out Nino and spend some quality time with his best bro before they had to go to class. It took all of Adrien's self-control to not immediately seek out Juleka. Instead, he suffered through the entire school day, irritating Nino with his nervous energy. He just wanted to scream, he wanted to dance, he wanted to _hug_ someone. Anything. He just wanted to let it out, but no one could know and it was so frustrating.

Nino, Alya, and Marinette all at different points of the day asked if he was okay, and what was going on, but all he could do was smile and tell them he got some "good news" and absolutely refuse to elaborate on what that news was. He kept the same mood all day, just happy jitters that confused everyone except one girl in the back of the room with a small, knowing smile.

That night, Adrien was out the door with a duffel bag containing everything necessary for his transformation, and hurried to the Centrico Plaza PR studio.

Juleka was waiting in the lobby. He called out to her. She turned to him with a smile, and he paused only just long enough to register her black shirt saying "The time is meow" before reaching out to give her the biggest hug he could muster. She wrapped her arms around his neck so he just hugged her middle tightly and picked her up, spinning once for good measure. "Juleka, this is so amazing!"

She just laughed as he set her back down. "The time is meow," she said, indicating her shirt. "It's going to be so rad."

"It will!" Adrien bounced on his toes in excitement. "Oh, by the way, did you get Poochyena out of The Stash?"

"Yep, and re-hid it."

"Why your poochyena likes to roll in your makeup stash so much will forever be a mystery to me."

"Me too, man. I hear Nathanael has a similar problem with his lotad and paint."

"There should be a support group for that."

Juleka just shrugged in response before taking his hand and guiding him to their usual rehearsal room. She shut the door and turned to him, brushing her hair out of her eyes carefully. "Have you thought about asking Marinette about designing a new outfit?"

"Yeah…"

"Not too into it?" She raised her eyebrows.

"It's not that! You know I love Marinette's work." Adrien sat down, opening the bag and pulling out the gym shorts and loose t-shirt that he practiced in. "It's just… I'm not sure I want to tell her that I'm Chat Noir. It was weird enough when you found out. And that turned out fine, but this was supposed to be a secret, you know?"

Juleka nodded thoughtfully. "You could ask her while you're dressed up. If Chat Noir asks her, then she doesn't need to know that Adrien is involved at all."

"I suppose… but why would Chat know who she is in the first place?"

"I recommended her, obviously." Juleka smiled. "I'll ask her if she can do it, and if she agrees then I'll bring her to you here, and you'll be in costume."

"I feel like I should be the one asking her…"

"Then I'll tell her that Chat Noir has something important to talk to her about. If all people know is that I'm friends with you, you could still be anyone."

"That's… true. Do you want to do that?"

"I think Marinette's the best for this." Adrien nodded in agreement. "Did you reply to the email? Are we making an announcement video today?"

"Oh! Yeah, we are. I responded last night and got all the info we need just a few hours ago. I brought the costume so we can do that whenever."

"Let's do it before you practice and get all sweaty."

Adrien had to laugh. "That's probably a good call."


	2. Sieze the Opurrtunity

"Girl, did you see Chat Noir's newest video?" Alya bounced excitedly by Marinette's side, already holding out her phone with the video loaded.

"You know I'm not subscribed to him."

"And you know you should be!" Alya pressed play and shoved the phone into Marinette's hands, talking over the first few seconds as Chat Noir appeared on the screen just rattling off an intro and grinning cheekily at the camera. "He's a good performer! If they let him in Showcases, I guarantee you he'd be Kalos Queen right now."

Marinette just sighed. "Yes, but… he wears a _bell_ , Alya! And he pretends his belt is a tail!"

"He's _adorable_."

"He's _insufferable_."

"Are you seriously not subscribed to him because of his fashion sense?"

"It's distracting. A real performer should look the part. But no, of course that's not the only reason!"

Juleka's voice behind her startled Marinette. She jumped as she turned to face her friend, who has a curious smile on her face. "Marinette, I wanted to talk to you." Marinette saw Juleka's eyes dart to the phone, where Chat Noir was still talking about whatever his big surprise was. "You're a fan of his?"

"She is," Alya said immediately. "She just doesn't like it."

"He doesn't seem like a very good person, that's all I'm saying!"

"Bad fashion choices doesn't mean bad person, Marinette."

"Actually," Juleka said, holding her hands behind her back as she smirked at the two, "he's very nice. One of the best people I know."

Alya's shriek forced Marinette to cover her ears. "You know Chat Noir?!"

Juleka just maintained her small, patient smile. "I do. We're good friends."

"Juleka, I cannot believe you, why did you not tell us this earlier!"

While Alya was freaking out, Juleka just turned quietly to Marinette. "I hope you don't mind, Marinette, but I told him a lot about you."

Marinette felt a strange chill go down her spine. She wasn't sure how much she trusted this Chat Noir character. He was a talented performer, sure, and Juleka said he was a good guy, but when Marinette watched his videos all she could focus on was that cocky smirk and the dumb puns and the airy flirtations that left his mouth anytime he actually talked. She normally only ever watched the edited performance videos because of that. He just… wasn't her kind of person. So to hear that he apparently knows quite a bit about her was a little strange.

"He actually has something important to ask you."

"He does?" Marinette sputtered. "What could he possibly want from me?"

Alya continued her freak-out with renewed intensity, but Juleka seemed to ignore her. "He needs a favor. I told him I'd ask you myself but he insisted. He's like that." _Troublesome?_ "He insists he can't ask you for something through a message. If you can come with me to the PR studio tonight or tomorrow, you can meet him." With a nervous glance to Alya, she added, "Sorry, Alya, but it'd be just Marinette."

Marinette just felt Alya's hands on her shoulder as she was spun around. "Girl if you don't go tonight I will officially revoke your best friend privileges. _Chat Noir_ wants to talk to you!"

Marinette gave Juleka a dubious look. "I'll be there the entire time." Juleka assured her. "And if it helps, we can meet him in the lobby. In public."

Staring down her best friend for another few seconds, Marinette huffed. "Fine. I'll listen to what he wants." _Only because Juleka vouches for him. Otherwise, there's no chance you'd find me going to meet some anonymous cat boy. So shady._

Juleka's smile widened. "You know where the Centrico Plaza Studio is, right? I'll meet you there at eight?"

"Yeah, okay." Marinette just sighed, saying her goodbyes to Juleka before heading to class a few minutes early.

Alya, of course, tailed her the entire way, talking non-stop about how lucky she was and how Alya needs all the details the moment she gets out and how hot Chat Noir is, like, girl, and he's taken an interest in you! Marinette politely reminded her that Chat Noir needed a favor, not a girlfriend. Alya politely reminded her that her life was such a trope already, she may as well add fake dating to the list. Marinette politely reminded her that even if that was what Chat Noir wanted, Marinette had no interest in dating and was too busy trying to figure out what she even wanted to do with her life.

Alya politely reminded her that Adrien Agreste was a boy that existed and was currently existing one seat in front of her.

Marinette politely reminded her to shut up.

Alya laughed. "Girl, alright, I'll shut up about it for now, but I expect a full debriefing the moment you get out of your rendezvous with your famous boyfriend."

"Famous housecat, maybe."

"You already have a Skitty. Sorry girl, but the boyfriend is the only position open."

"And it's going to stay open even if I have to sick Ariados on him."

"Please don't scare Chat Noir. You know like half your team is terrifying."

"They are not! They're perfectly nice!"

"Mylène's aggron is perfectly nice too. Doesn't make him less scary."

Marinette just shrugged. "Well it's not my problem. I'm just going to sit quietly and work on my designs. Besides, I _probably_ won't have to take out any of my pokémon to meet Chat Noir. Juleka will be there, anyway."

"Good."

"But if he's not on his best behavior…" Marinette grinned conspiratorially. "I'll let Mawile loose."

"Yeesh, do you really not like him? You haven't even met him! Don't you think that's a little unfair?"

Marinette huffed. "I trust Juleka enough that I'm sure he's a very nice boy. I don't like his persona. He's flirty, annoying, and I can never take anything he says seriously! I get that he's a character, but I prefer watching people who feel more genuine, that's all. I have nothing against him personally. That's just why I'm not subscribed."

Alya shrugged. "I guess I can get that. He's not everyone's cup of tea. Oh! But the video I was trying to show you earlier, it was him announcing the venue for a big performance."

"I didn't think he did live shows."

"He doesn't, normally! He was invited to be a guest performer at the opening Showcase this season, so he'll be performing before the show starts. This could be our only chance to see him live!"

Marinette made a face. _It would be great to see. He's a good performer, I might get some good inspiration. Still, the premiere show of the season?_ "Won't it be packed? The premiere _and_ Chat Noir performing?"

"Definitely. That's why I bought tickets as soon as I heard. We're already in, girl."

* * *

"Marinette! Are you going out?" Marinette's mother called to her just before she could leave the house.

"Ah, yes! I told Juleka I'd meet her tonight."

Sabine frowned, then handed Marinette her bag. _Wow, almost forgot that._ "Be back by eleven."

"Yes, Mom."

"The sass doesn't work when I am actually your mother, young lady." Sabine held back a smile. "Have fun."

" _Yes, Mom_." Marinette repeated, grinning as she walked out the door.

The Trainer PR Studio wasn't far and Marinette had a little bit of time to kill, so she didn't hurry. She just strolled through the streets, lightly thumbing the pokéballs on her belt as she walked. With only the distraction of a single old man asking for directions, Marinette made it to the PR studio with no effort.

And though she was five minutes early, Juleka was already waiting outside. "Marinette," she said with a pleasant smile, "I'm glad you could make it."

"Yeah, well, Alya would kill me if I didn't."

"He's changing right now. He'll be ready in a few minutes." _Probably spending ten minutes putting on copious amounts of eyeliner._ Marinette and Juleka waited outside for five minutes or so before a ledian came speeding out of the building and rushed straight into Juleka's arms. She smiled. "Good to see you too."

That was the cue, apparently, because Juleka gestured for her to follow her inside. Marinette looked around quickly. She'd been in the studio before, once or twice, so the bright lobby wasn't a strange sight to her. She moved her eyes quickly, scanning the room until they landed on the bright green eyes of a boy dressed like a cat. He smiled, the pure white of his teeth contrasting against the black that covered most of his body. "Marinette! I finally get to meet you!"

"Chat Noir," she said, sounding as unimpressed as she felt. _It's hard to believe he's the same boy that Alya has been freaking out over for months. He just looks like any other person. Sans cat ears and bell, at least. He seems… friendly. Too friendly._ "What do you need me for?"

The grin on his lips wavered just slightly. "Well, have you seen my latest video?"

"No." He blinked, and the smile at that point was clearly being a little forced. Marinette almost laughed when his eyes shifted to Juleka in a pleading motion. "But my friend told me about it."

"Ah, well, it's about the live performance at the Showcase." Marinette put up her eyebrows but didn't say anything. "You see, as our mutual friend has kindly pointed out. My costume isn't exactly stage-ready."

Marinette snickered, looking closer at the worn black hoodie and sweatpants. "I can see that."

He sighed, letting his smile drop. He gave Juleka one last desperate look and shook his head, turning back to Marinette. "Look, Princess, do you have a problem with me?"

"I wouldn't say that. Not a subscriber though." Marinette smiled. _At least that dumb stage smile is gone. So fake._

He gave her a flat look. "I'm only trying to ask a favor. You don't have to get all…"

"All what?"

"Judgmental."

Marinette rolled her eyes. _I'm not judgmental, he's just not impressive._ "Alright, Guyliner, what's the favor?"

Chat Noir held his hands up, indicating Marinette, and just gave Juleka a very pointed look. Juleka giggled behind her hand and stayed quiet. "Well, Juleka told me that you were a good designer, so I was going to ask if I could hire you to make my stage outfit, but clearly you don't like me, so I guess I'll find something else."

 _Design Chat Noir's stage outfit? That will be seen by thousands of people at the premiere of the Showcase season? Is that even a question?_ "I'll do it."

Chat Noir frowned at her. "I'd hate to be a bother."

"Not at all. This is a wonderful opportunity." Marinette strode forward confidently, examining Chat Noir more closely. "And you're… not as bad as I thought you'd be."

"What did you think I'd be like?"

"Over-enthusiastic, flirty, any number of things, really. And you tried. I like you more when you're not pretending."

"Oh."

"If you want me to do this, we're going to have to meet a few times to agree on a design and so I can get your measurements. I'll start sketching out some ideas I have. And I'll need to be paid at least enough for the fabric."

"Money's not a problem." Marinette arched an eyebrow at him. He suddenly gulped and averted his eyes, spinning a ring on his finger absently. "Was that pretentious? Sorry. It's just… this is important, and I can afford it, so…"

"It shouldn't be too expensive. Depends on what we go with. Did you want to interview now? Then I can get sketching right away. I need to know what you want for this."

"Uh, yeah, now is fine. We can sit just here." He sat down on a couch in the lounge area, sending Juleka a look. "Hey, could you take my pokémon to the rehearsal room? Tell them what I'm doing. They can practice a little on their own, they know the performance by now." Juleka nodded and took all six of his pokéballs as he handed them to her. With a smile at Marinette, she left further into the building. When Marinette gave Chat Noir a questioning look, he just grinned sheepishly. "It's practice time. Some of them get antsy if they don't get to let out their energy with this."

Marinette decided to dive straight in. "So, Guyliner, tell me about yourself."

He raised his eyebrows. "Uh, I don't normally wear eyeliner?"

"Fascinating. I meant, what's your image?"

"Um…" _Arceus, he actually looks uncomfortable._ "Cat? I honestly don't know. This kind of evolved as I made the character, I never planned any of it. Sorry I'm not very helpful."

"So far, you aren't. That's fine. That just means I have to ask more specific questions. What is absolutely necessary for the outfit?"

He thought for a moment. "I guess the big thing is I need to be able to move in it. Like, a lot. It needs to be something I can dance in. Other than that… I know my fans really like me in leather for some reason." He said it like a question, and the way his brow pinched together made Marinette think that he legitimately didn't know why. _Oh Arceus. Well I, for one, can think of several reasons that his fans might like him in leather._ "The bell and tail are kind of signature now, as well as the ears, but that's…" He shrugged. "Whatever, right? So long as I'm still a black cat."

 _I could pander to the audience just a little bit…_ Marinette looked him up and down. _He covers up a lot though. Maybe he wouldn't…_ "How comfortable are you with showing some skin?"

He blinked and opened his mouth slightly in surprise. "Uh, I guess I don't mind. Why?"

"Just some ideas." _I'll make sure to at least think about some rough ideas that cover him up, but I'm liking this._ "How do you dance with that tail, by the way? It seems like it'd get in the way."

He grabbed his own belt-tail, petting it lightly without thinking about it. "Oh, just practice, I guess. I've slipped on it more than once, trust me. I kind of figured out how it moves, so I know where it'll be. Why?"

"Because if your new outfit has a tail, we need to make sure it won't be a problem for you."

"Ah, right."

"On a scale from 'street dancer' to 'pokéwood', how extravagant are you thinking?"

"Honestly? Probably much closer to 'street dancer'. I've never performed in clothes I couldn't just wear around. I mean, aside from the tail and mask, of course."

"You like it casual then. Something simple that will still make a statement on stage. Got it. Nothing that will make you feel stupider than you do now."

"I don't feel stupid in this!"

"Of course, because kitty thug superhero is just such a modern and chic look."

"Aww, you think I'm super?"

"In your dreams, Guyliner. And that's probably the most selective hearing I've ever seen."

"Only the best for you, Princess." Marinette snorted, starting a preliminary design in her sketchbook (which was in her bag as always. _Thanks, Mom._ ) and writing down the things Chat had told her that pertained to it. "Hey, Marinette," Chat said, leaning over to look at her sketchbook as she worked.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. This is a big event. The chance to get my design on stage like that isn't one that most designers get. So I guess I should be thanking you."

Though she was focused on the paper, she still noticed how his face fell. "Oh. So that's why. You're welcome, I guess."

"Plus," Marinette added, "you're Juleka's friend. Of course I'll help you out if you need it. That's what friends are for." She rolled her eyes. "And I suppose you're not too bad yourself. You're growing on me."

"I am?" His eyes lit up, and that perfect white grin made another appearance. "Good. I don't know how I'd go on if my princess didn't think I was su- _purr_."

"I'm sure you'd manage somehow." They both sat in silence for a while, Marinette studiously making notes and little sketches about possibilities for the design. _This is big for me. Chat Noir is pretty popular. Popular enough to get a spot performing on opening night of the Showcase season. A lot of people will see my design. It has to be perfect._ "So how did you meet Juleka?"

"Ah, ah, is my princess trying to discover her loyal knight's identity?"

Marinette scoffed. "In case you haven't noticed, that's not a big deal to me. I'm not one of your fangirls. I was just making small talk."

He laughed. "Well if you must know, we're friends while I'm not in costume. And since I know you're friends with her, any more than that will compromise my air of mystery."

"Air of mystery."

"I hear the ladies like it."

Marinette rolled her eyes again. "You're insufferable."


	3. Mega Problems

"So how did it go?" Juleka and all of their pokémon converged on Adrien the moment he walked into the rehearsal room.

He deftly caught the energetic poochyena that leapt onto him and cradled him in his arms as he gave Juleka an unsure smile. "Okay, I think?" His voice was breathy and tired, more than he intended to let on. "I saw what she was starting to do and it seems pretty cool. She said she'll meet me again soon to finalize her design and so I can pay her so she can buy fabric. I assume she'll talk to you to arrange that."

"That's fine." She looked at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

Adrien sighed, moving to take a seat in one of the few chairs in the room. "It's just that… I can't really tell if she likes me or hates me. She acts so different than when I talk to her as Adrien."

"I think you'd know if she hated you. I thought you were friends?"

"Not really. Nino and Alya are friends, so we hang out sometimes." Adrien shifted uncomfortably, making Poochyena, who took a spot in his lap, let out a tiny whine of protest. "She never really talks to me, even when I try to start conversation with her. But those times I feel like she just doesn't like me. With Chat, she's near hostile. Or friendly. Again, I… can't tell. She's surprisingly sassy. Or I hope she's just being sassy at least."

He felt Juleka's hand on his shoulder. "Even if she doesn't like you, would that be so bad? Chat is a character."

"Yes, but… I don't know, maybe it's selfish, or unrealistic, or something. I guess I just kind of wanted her to… I just don't want to be just a stepping stone in her career." Adrien stroked Poochyena absently, focusing his eyes instead on the harsh white backdrop of the wall across from him. "I want her to like me, and do this because she wants to. Not just because it's a good opportunity for her. Which she totally deserves, by the way! Her designs are great, and I'm glad I can help her get her name out there, but I just… I don't know, I guess I hoped that my little mask would mean I could start over with her, and that we could actually be friends this time. But…" He pushed back his hood with a sigh and nimbly untied the mask, pulling it away with one hand and throwing it in the general direction of his bag. "Alas. Poor Yorik. Plus, she kind of feels like a part of this now. Even if she doesn't know I'm Adrien, it feels like she's part of the team, somehow." He sighed. "Whatever, I guess it doesn't matter."

"If you care that much, then it does matter." Adrien met Juleka's eyes for a moment. "You said you don't know if she likes you or not. Maybe she does like you! You have plenty of more opportunities to spend time with her, too, so even if she doesn't yet then I'm sure you can charm her little pants off."

Adrien snickered. "Well I'm not sure I want to go that far. I'm more of a dinner and movies kind of guy."

"If you joke about this with Marinette I will get Rose and Nino and Alya and we will all set you up, I hope you know this."

"Message received. Let's not."

Juleka's eyes went wide suddenly, and she turned away to pick up something from another part of the room. "Oh right, I just remembered. This was here when I came in." She held out a small black box. It had strange red markings on it and a sticky note attached reading "For Chat Noir".

Adrien took it from her carefully. "How did they know to put it here? Who sent it?" Juleka just shrugged. _Well, maybe whatever it is will give me a clue._ Frowning, and with Juleka leaning on his shoulder, looking at the box as well, he flipped up the lid.

Inside, there were two small stones, one smaller than the other, with a strange kind of design inside. Both were perfectly polished to be entirely spherical, and Adrien had absolutely no idea what they were. The quiet gasp right next to his ear, though, prompted him to turn his head and meet Juleka's eyes. "You know what this is?" he asked.

"I think so. We had a really short chapter in History class that mentioned these things. Hold on." Juleka moved away from him to her own bag, digging through it and pulling out a folder. Filing through the papers in it surprisingly quickly, Juleka finally pulled out a single sheet of notebook paper. "Here."

He took the paper from her hand, reading the title on the first line. "Mega evolution?"

"There wasn't much on it, but I thought it sounded cool." Juleka nodded. "Apparently there are some trainers who can mega evolve certain pokémon if they have a Mega Stone and a Key Stone. It looks like someone gave you both."

 _Mega evolution? I think I've heard of it. I know I've seen pictures of one or two mega forms of pokémon, I just… Why would someone give this to me?_ "Why?"

"I don't know. The Key Stones especially are extremely rare."

"Maybe… it'd be a cool thing to include in a performance someday?"

"Maybe."

Adrien carefully lifted the larger stone, a pale blue transparent orb with a strange black and white marking inside. The more he thought about it, the more that that day's lesson came back to him. "These things are pokémon specific right? Which one is this for? If whoever left this here knew which room I use, they probably know my team."

Juleka held her hand out, so Adrien gently placed the Mega Stone in her palm. She held it close to examine it, before swiftly withdrawing her phone from her bag. "Just a sec… It looks like this is for absol. For Plagg, I guess." She turned her phone so he could see, showing a list of round stones and names next to them. "They're all different colors. So this is probably absolite."

"That makes sense." Adrien picked up the Key Stone with the utmost care. _Is this fragile? If I danced with this thing on me, what is the likelihood that it would break in five seconds?_ He squeezed it gently between his fingers and rolled it in his palm. _I'm not keen on dropping it to find out. It looks like glass. Hope it's a bit sturdier than that. Then again, it is just a solid little ball. Just by structure I'm sure it's at least somewhat tough._

He slipped the Key Stone in his hoodie's front pocket and ran his fingers along the soft velvet lining of the box. With nothing else in it, no note or anything, he set it down on the only table in the room, turning back to Juleka, who was kneeling down and offering Plagg the Mega Stone. She looked up at Adrien. "You should try mega evolving him."

"How?"

"No idea. I've never seen it before."

"Me neither." Adrien sat down in front of Plagg, who held the Mega Stone in his mouth, and pulled out the Key Stone, holding it up to the same level as Plagg's stone. "Hey bud, want to try for me?" Plagg gave him an unimpressed look and set the Mega Stone down, turning away to curl up a few yards away and doze off. Adrien just looked at Juleka and shrugged. "I tried."

"You did not." Juleka giggled, making Adrien smile. He didn't really mind that nothing happened. He didn't really expect it, nor did he try very hard. Not that he had any idea what he should have been trying to _do_ , exactly. "We should check to make sure that it's absolite though. If we're wrong, then it doesn't matter if you did try."

"How do we do that?"

"Professor Mendeleiev studies mega evolution, doesn't she?"

Adrien made a face at that. "I think so? Professor Mendeleiev is also terrifying, so I've kind of tried to avoid getting involved in her business any more than necessary."

"Aww, don't worry, Adrien." Juleka patted him on the head, picking up the Mega Stone as she did so. "I'll protect you from the big, bad professor. We can stop by her classroom tomorrow before school, if you can get there early. You could ask her after school too, but I have a thing with Rose then so you'd have to be on your own."

"Before school is fine." Adrien got up and placed the Key Stone back in the box, right next to where Juleka had placed the Mega Stone. He closed it and put it in his bag, taking out wipes to get rid of all his makeup, since he was already in the bag. With a quick look at his phone, his suspicions that he had wasted all his practice time was confirmed. _At least the guys got to rehearse a little. The ones that actually did, anyway. I know Plagg didn't._ "Help me get this makeup off, please, and then I think we're done for today."

Juleka looked at her own phone. "We have a little time. Are you sure you don't want to go through your performance just once?"

"I probably should," he sighed, "but I'm still confused about Marinette and now we have these precious rocks for some reason and I kind of just want to go to sleep, honestly."

"You do seem kind of tired. Not so bubbly."

"Well I'll be all bubbles tomorrow, Jules. Swear. Too much confusion right now is all. I just spent an hour in basically my father's business meetings." Juleka took the wipes from his hand and used one to start cleaning his eyelids. "Always trying to figure out what they actually want, never sure what's straight or not, it's tiring. Marinette was kind of fun to talk to, but I think I'm just spending too much energy trying to figure out what she thinks of me."

Juleka hummed quietly. "Well I don't know about the other things, but I can tell you for certain that we, at least, are never straight."

Adrien spent the next several minutes cackling while Juleka fought to keep him still. (She ended up only poking his eye once.)

* * *

Juleka's knock was so gentle that if Adrien didn't see her knuckles connect with the large wooden door, he wouldn't have thought she'd done anything. And honestly, he understood. Despite her talk the night before, Professor Mendeleiev was… certainly a presence. Sometimes in much the same way his father was. He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled encouragingly, pulling the box containing both Plagg's Mega Stone and his Key Stone out before knocking on the door himself.

"Come in!" the voice behind the door barked. Adrien shared a look with Juleka and took hold of the handle, swinging the door out so he and Juleka could slip through. "What do you need?"

 _Reminds me of someone._ Adrien thought flatly, remembering Marinette's curt responses at their introduction. _Except there's no getting more comfortable with Professor Mendeleiev._ "I found something last night in, uh, my house. I think it's from when my dad went on his journey," Adrien said, glancing to meet Juleka's eyes. She closed the slight open space between her lips and nodded. "I thought you might be able to confirm for us if this is really what we think it is." He held up the box, lifting the lid for Professor Mendeleiev.

She stood and looked down her nose at the stones in the box, and then at Adrien and Juleka in turn. When she swept around her desk to come closer, her movements reminded Adrien of his father. Stiff and cold and intent. "Where did you say you found these?"

"In my house." Adrien repeated smoothly, sparing Juleka another glance. She was watching carefully, but had taken a step back away from Professor Mendeleiev. "I got bored and started exploring a little." Professor Mendeleiev looked down at him with a critical eye. "It's a big house."

She narrowed her eyes. "So it is." With possibly more care than Adrien even considered possible, she reached out and lifted the Mega Stone and Key Stone out of the box with each hand. She seemingly glided over to a complicated looking machine in the back of the room and placed the Mega Stone into a slot on it. She then opened a drawer and pulled out a small magnifying glass, holding it over the Key Stone deliberately and scrutinizing it. When the machine beeped twice, she shifted the stone in her hand and held the magnifying glass in the same hand, picking up the Mega Stone to look at it just as closely. "You train an absol, yes?"

Adrien blinked. _So it is absolite then?_ "I do."

"Lucky. This is absolite, and a real Key Stone as well. With them both you should be able to achieve mega evolution."

Juleka gave him a big smile. "That's so rad!"

Adrien laughed. "Now I just need to figure out how to actually do that."

Professor Mendeleiev returned both stones to the box in Adrien's hands. She placed the magnifying glass down on the desk and crossed her arms. "Mega evolution is a form of evolution surpassing that of the normal variety. As far as we've found so far, we know it requires both those stones and a strong connection with the pokémon you want to mega evolve."

Adrien thought about Plagg. _Well we've been partners for years. He's not the… best behaved, but we're good to each other. It'd be sad to think he just doesn't like me enough to pull this off._ "You'll figure it out, Adrien." He almost dropped the box when Professor Mendeleiev spoke. _Was that… confidence in me? I know I'm one of her better students but praise is still pretty darn hard to come by with her._ "And when you do, it would be most helpful if you could show me the phenomenon." She returned to her desk, picking up a pen and shuffling through papers. "I know you have what it takes to use mega evolution. Don't give up, until you do."

With a nod, Adrien and Juleka left the room. "Dude, that was so weird," he said.

"She believes in you, Adrien."

"Exactly."

"So do I. Maybe you should try soon. We can do some digging on the internet. I'm sure there's someone who can use mega evolution who has talked about it there. We should get some way for you to wear your keystone too, so you don't have to carry it all the time. Same for Plagg."

"Yeah, okay."

"There you two are!" Alya's powerful voice carried through the hallway to them, making them turn their heads to watch her coming, with Rose at her heels. "Thank Arceus! We were worried sick!"

"Wait, what? Why?" Juleka immediately went to Rose, while Adrien grabbed Alya's shoulders. "What's happening?"

The look in Alya's eyes terrified Adrien. She looked scared, haunted even, but determined. Quite frankly, that last quality unnerved him the most. _Something is happening and that is not the look of someone who is about to do something smart._ "It's Mylène's aggron." _Oh, shit._ "He's rampaging."

"Oh, shit."

"Come on." Alya grabbed his wrist. "He's in the courtyard. So if we leave through the side entrance, we should be safe." Rose frantically knocked on Professor Mendeleiev's door as Alya was speaking, and started explaining the situation to her as Alya pulled Adrien along. "Hurry! Nino's about ready to have a panic attack because of you, you know! And I need to get video of this."

Adrien didn't get the chance to tell Alya how terrible of an idea that was because that was the exact moment that the entire school shook, sending a bolt of panic through Adrien. Tremors only became more frequent as they ran, knocking them off balance and forcing them to avoid the edges of the halls for fear that the lockers would just fall over on them. _I don't know if those are bolted to the wall but I don't want to find out._

Alya threw him into the door, pushing him out as Rose, Juleka and Professor Mendeleiev followed closely behind. Then, with that same look of determination, she began creeping around the side of the school to the front.

"Alya, don't!" He hissed, rushing after her. Professor Mendeleiev called for them both to stop, but couldn't follow them as she had to physically restrain Rose and Juleka to keep them from following as well.

Alya reached the large archway and stuck her head out to see around the wall. Just as Adrien did the same, he was greeted by a confident, commanding voice and tendrils of bright light that almost blinded him enough to not see the very big, very angry, and very aggressive aggron that was tearing a hole out of the school. "Mawile! Mega evolve!"


	4. Ladybug, Rise

It wasn't that complicated.

Really, it wasn't. _So I was wrong about a dumb cat boy. That doesn't change anything. He's a cool guy, but he's still some famous internet performer. I'm still just going to make this outfit for him and never see him again, probably. So I don't know why Alya's so excited about that. I'm more excited by this opportunity! It really is a lucky break! I'll have to thank Juleka for recommending me._

"So when are you seeing him again?" Alya's voice came through the phone that Marinette had pressed to her ear as she fumbled with the latch to her room.

"I'm not sure yet. I'll have to arrange it through Juleka."

"What, you didn't get his number?"

"For the last time, Alya, no. He hired me to make his performance costume. That's _all_. He doesn't need a secret girlfriend."

"Or maybe he _did_ , and you're lying to keep the secret! Or maybe even you don't know that you're dating yet."

"Seriously Alya!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry girl. That's fine, though, because it means you can keep dreaming about Adrien without a talented black cat taking over your thoughts."

Marinette rolled her eyes, putting Alya on speaker and throwing her phone on her desk before letting her pokémon out of their pokéballs. She dug into her bag, pulling out her sketchbook to keep working on Chat Noir's design while she was still inspired.

When she put her sketchbook down though, and started digging for her pencil, her hand hit a small box that she had absolutely never seen before in her life. Extracting it, she read the crumpled sticky note on the top, reading "For Marinette Dupain-Cheng".

She pulled off the note, examining the curious accents on the box, and placed it gently on her desk. "Girl. Girl? Marinette! Earth to Marinette!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. What is it?" Marinette replied, not looking away from the box. _Who would have been able to put that in there? Chat? I don't think so. Maybe I turned my back on it at some point, while sketching, maybe? But wouldn't Chat have seen someone in my bag at least? I don't think he'd just let someone rifle through someone else's things._

"Girl, I was asking what his design is going to look like! Can I see a picture? I know you've already got like fifty different ones with tiny little changes but let me see the main idea!"

"Ah, actually I think for now I'm going to keep it a secret." Marinette felt a smile tug at her lips when Alya's protests came out of her phone's speaker. "For now. I'll let you see some other time, okay?"

"Alright, fine. But it better be good, girl! This is huge for you!"

"I know, but hey, I better go. I want to focus on this design while everything's still fresh."

"I hear you, girl. Good luck! Not that you'll need it."

Marinette chuckled. "Bye, Alya."

"Later!"

When she saw that Alya had hung up, Marinette breathed out a sigh. _Now, what do you have for me?_ She frowned at the box, sharing a look with Misdreavus before reaching out and lifting the lid.

Mawile got up on her tip-toes to look over the edge of the desk, trying to see the contents of the box, and Marinette just gasped quietly when she saw what was in it. _This is… a Mega Stone?_ She looked down at Mawile for a moment, then back at the box. _And a Key Stone! These together must cost a fortune. Someone must have accidentally dropped them in my bag. It was open, I think. Maybe they put it on a table and it got knocked over or something. Whatever way, someone has to be missing these._

 _But wait… there was a note on it. It said it was for me. Why would someone give_ me _a Mega Stone?_ Marinette tapped her foot, trying to think, and eventually she started her computer and typed in a quick search, deciding to solve a different, easier mystery. _Transparent pink with a… black and yellow core… it must be mawilite. That means…_ Marinette looked at Mawile, who was still trying to get a good look in the box, carefully. She reached over and, still concerned that _someone_ must have been looking for it, picked up the box, holding it lower so that Mawile had access to it.

Mawile didn't seem to have many concerns at all about it. She just reached in and excitedly picked up the pink jewel, examining it in the light with a wide smile on her face. Marinette smiled in turn, watching her pokémon. After a moment, though, Mawile picked up the other stone, the Key Stone, and held it up to her.

Marinette gulped and accepted the small stone. "You want to try?" Mawile nodded her head vehemently. "Okay then." Marinette rolled the Key Stone in her fingers, looking at it, and after a few seconds deliberation, held it out towards Mawile, saying, "Let's do this then. Mawile, mega evolve."

At first, nothing happened. For a second, Marinette thought she did it wrong, or maybe the stones weren't real or she misidentified the Mega Stone. In the next second though, both stones shone brilliantly, and tendrils of light reached out between them, connecting the stones and engulfing Mawile. Marinette had to shield her eyes from the brightness since it was dim in her room, being night time, but when she looked again, Mawile had changed form.

Most obviously, she had another jaw on her head. "Oh, Arceus," Marinette murmured. "You mega evolved." She sat back in her chair, letting the momentum of the motion send her rolling just a few inches. "How long does it last, I wonder?"

Mawile frowned, and the transformation dissipated on the spot. That made Marinette sit up again. "Interesting. Did you change back on purpose?" Mawile grinned and nodded. "So you control it. That's good."

 _Now we just have to figure out why someone would give this to me. They knew what they were doing. It was in my bag, with a note saying it was for me, and it had a Mega Stone that just so happened to be one for one of the pokémon I'm training. There's no way any of this is a coincidence. Chat is my only clue, I think, but I'm not sure I can just ask him "hey, did you happen to put a Mega Stone in my bag last night? Because yeah, Mawile mega evolved, thanks for that." Well, I guess I could, but if he doesn't know anything about it I don't want to advertise the fact that I have one of these. These things are ridiculously rare. I've heard of people trying to steal them, so I should try to keep it quiet. For now, from everyone. At least until I figure out who gave it to me and why, or I absolutely need someone's help to find that out._

 _Why do I feel like there's something shady going on here?_

* * *

When Mylène's aggron started shaking his head and making strange, painful grinding noises deep in his throat, Marinette knew immediately that something terrible was about to happen. "Mylène, get away!" She called, running forward to physically drag the small girl away before it was too late. Aggron refused to go in the pokeball and he was thrashing about, roaring and making that strange sound like gears stuck and protesting against whatever wasn't allowing them to turn, as people started to catch onto what was happening. Marinette sent Mylene away, pushing her out the front gate before looking for anyone else through the crowd of screaming students, most of whom were running towards her.

She fought the crowd, a fish swimming upstream, and finally broke through just in time for Aggron to turn to face her. _Shit._ She dodged his first charge like she would dodge a tauros, by jumping to the side at the last moment before he could turn properly. He ran into the wall, and straight through it. And then he was after her again. Marinette risked a glance around, no one was there to save her. She jumped to the side once again, but Aggron turned his head slightly, catching her loose jacket in his horns and dragging her with him as he crashed into the wall. She only just managed to wriggle out of her jacket in time to scramble away before the bricks crushed her flat.

There was nothing she could do, so with adrenaline pumping through her veins, she just _booked it._ She took cover in one of the offices nearby, hoping that Aggron wouldn't try to charge around the actual building while she wasn't there to be chased.

Her heartbeat had only just begun to steady when she felt a tugging on her shirt. She looked over at Mawile, and took note of the determination in the small pokémon's eyes. "No," she said. "Absolutely not." Mawile protested, tugging more insistently. "No! We can't _fight_ him!" Mawile just wailed out another protest and held up her Mega stone. _Oh._ Marinette shook her head. "No, it's too dangerous!"

When Mawile went off in a speech Marinette couldn't understand, she had no choice but to concede. _Mawile really wants to do this… Fine. But at the first sign of trouble, we're out._ "Alright. You win. We can try." Mawile cheered, but Marinette just fretted more. _No one knows I have a Key Stone though. I don't want to have to deal with everyone, especially since I don't know who gave it to me in the first place._ "How do you explain why I have a Key Stone, though?" She asked Mawile.

Her pokémon thought for a moment before jumping up onto the chair nearby and climbing on the desk, picking up the dark sunglasses there. "A disguise? Really?" Mawile nodded excitedly.

Marinette sighed, accepting the glasses and grabbing a red, black-spotted scarf for good measure, wrapping it around her face and pulling the ties out of her hair just to be as sure as possible before running out alongside Mawile to face down the large aggron that was taking a bite out of the building. _It's not even metal! That's brick! Sweet Arceus, what is_ wrong _with him?_

Marinette pulled the small Key Stone out of her pocket, touching it gently with her other hand. The bright lights connecting the stones were already reaching for each other when Marinette cried out. "Mawile! Mega evolve!"

Much to Marinette's chagrin, the light show attracted Aggron's attention. Mawile barely even had time to finish the short mega evolution before Aggron was already halfway to them. _We are so screwed._ "Ice Beam!"

Mawile and Marinette both rolled to the side as Aggron barreled past, and Mawile jumped up in the next second to coat the floor of the courtyard with ice.

Which did not have nearly the desired effect. Either the ice was too thin, or Aggron was just too heavy, because as he recovered and turned to face Marinette, the ice just crunched and shattered under his feet. He had next to no trouble with traction at all. Marinette on the other hand… _Arceus, I'm an idiot! Now we can't even stand!_ Marinette was on her butt, a sitting duck on the ice while Aggron thrashed around on the opposite end of the courtyard. _Wait._ "Mawile, up!"

She held her hand out to Mawile, who looked back and immediately hurried to stand on Marinette's stomach after the girl had turned and laid flat on her back. She looked up at Aggron, who was again shaking his head violently and making that awful, pained grinding sound. The next second, he was after her, and Marinette had only a short window to put her plan into action. _My terrible, terrible plan. I am so going to die._

One step.

Marinette estimated the distance Aggron covered in a single bound.

Two steps.

Marinette touched Mawile gently and smiled, risking that fraction of a second to reassure her pokémon instead of watching her impending doom rocket towards her.

Three steps.

Her muscles tensed, all her energy went straight to her legs. She braced herself against a large chunk of the building that had fallen.

Four steps.

Marinette pushed off as hard as she could, sending herself, and Mawile on top of her, sliding along the ice and straight between Aggron's legs.

Five steps.

There was no need to give the order for Mawile to Sucker Punch Aggron right in the jaw. At just the right moment, Mawile leapt from atop Marinette and gave Aggron a pretty nasty uppercut just as Marinette cleared the large body. The ground behind Aggron was broken up from his trampling, so the moment she could, Marinette leapt to her feet and hit the ground running because she knew exactly what was coming next.

That was Aggron stumbling from Mawile's strike and falling back, right towards Marinette. _I am dead, I'm so dead, so dead, so dead._

With herculean effort, Marinette dove for it. Rolling out cleanly and bouncing to her feet, she wanted nothing more than to rip away the _dumb_ ladybug scarf covering her face but then she caught sight of _him_ standing there and she froze. _I am so freaking hot and it's hard to breathe but damn it Adrien Agreste cannot know that I just slid like a damn piplup between the legs of a charging aggron that is_ not _happening._

The crash behind her shook the ground, knocking her off balance a little, but she quickly recovered herself and looked back to see Mawile standing on top of Aggron's belly, looking proud of herself.

"Wait, no! It's dangerous!" Adrien's voice drew Marinette's attention again, and she looked over to see him trying to hold back Mylène from running over.

Still heaving from her frenzied run to avoid being flattened, Marinette gestured to Mylène, pulling out one of her pokéballs and frantically miming returning the pokémon to it.

Mylène, luckily, caught on quickly, and managed to put Aggron back in his pokéball just as he began shaking off the blow. He was, luckily, too dazed to fight the return. Mawile just dropped to the ground when he disappeared and her mega evolution ended. Marinette put her hand on her chest, feeling her heart race. _I am_ never _doing that again. I can't believe I let Mawile talk me into this in the first place, oh Arceus._

"Hey. You were pretty amazing there!"

 _And now he's talking to me. Oh man._ When Marinette looked up to meet Adrien's bright green eyes, she almost wished that Aggron had flattened her. _I cannot handle this ever, but especially not right now._

Mawile took her hand, murmuring and smiling, calming Marinette a little. She chose to just kind of ignore Adrien for the time being. After all, after that, Mawile deserved some love. "You did great!" she said, kneeling to Mawile's level and giving her a hug. "Good job."

Adrien coughed awkwardly, forcing her to look at him and acknowledge his presence (his wonderful, beautiful, distracting, presence). "Thank you, really. I have no idea why Aggron would do that, but you've really saved us!"

Marinette looked around at the absolute ruin that was their school, and then realized that he couldn't see her eyes moving. "No problem. I'm just doing what I can. I wish I could have stopped the aggron before it destroyed everything."

"Oh, no, don't worry about it! If you weren't here, things would be much worse! You did brilliant! Absolutely amazing!"

"Oh, uh, thanks." Marinette knew her cheeks were burning, and pulled the scarf up a little more to hide it. "But I should really… go…" She backed away slowly, eyes darting to any and all possible escape routes.

"Hey, hold on! Can't we talk for a moment? What's your name?"

Marinette stared at him for several seconds. _Adrien Agreste wants to hang out with me oh Arceus. He's asking, this isn't just tagging along because of Alya and Nino he actually_ wants _to talk to_ me _. Oh dear, what is happening._ She looked at Mawile, who seemed tired, and her priorities changed immediately. _I have to make sure Mawile is okay. It wasn't long, but that was definitely a scary battle. And she deserves a treat and a chance to rest. Right._

With one last, paralyzing look at Adrien, Marinette just returned Mawile to her pokéball and muttered out one word. "No."

And then she bolted, turning tail and sprinting as fast as she could as far away as she could. Only after she was well clear of the school did she finally pull off the scarf and glasses, shoving both into her bag and finding her way home.


	5. Curiosity of the Cat

Adrien watched, dumbstruck, at the girl's receding form. "No?" He repeated, confused. "O-okay."

"Adrien?" Alya's voice raised too high in pitch. He touched Mylène's shoulder and turned away from her to see what was panicking Alya. She was running to him at full speed. "Adrien, please tell me you saw Marinette."

 _Marinette is missing?!_ "Uh, no, I only saw that girl with the scarf." His eyes went wide and his throat felt dry all of a sudden. Quickly, he surveyed the area. _There's a lot of places for someone to be hurt. Or totally covered in rubble. Arceus._ "Marinette?!" He called out, cupping his hands to his mouth.

Alya followed suit and both of them hurried around the courtyard, digging into piles of broken brick just in case she was under them. The thought made Adrien nauseous. He felt hands on his shoulders, and looked back to see Nino and Juleka both, with Nino holding his phone to his ear and tapping his foot impatiently. "Come on," he muttered, "pick up." His eyes went wide. "Girl, where _are_ you?! We thought you were dead!" He paused, letting the person on the other end of the call speak. "Okay, well we're all coming over right this instant, Alya's about ready to cry, you know!" Another pause. " _I'm_ about ready to cry. Don't run off like that! At least tell us!"

Nino took a deep breath, mumbled a goodbye, and hung up. He looked at Adrien and Alya, who had come over, hearing Nino's yelling. "She's okay. She went home after she got away. She's at the bakery now."

"Let's go."

"Not so fast." Adrien had never come closer to punching a police officer than he did in that moment. "I'm sorry kids, but you're going to have to answer some questions."

"But our friend-"

"Is at her home." Alya said, straightening her back and facing the cop. "She's safe, we can take some time to help the police."

The officer smiled, but Adrien just wanted to book it like the girl in the scarf did. _Who was she anyway? Whoever she is, she's absolutely amazing._ _But that's not important right now! I have to see Marinette!_ "Did any of you see what happened?" Adrien looked over to see another cop interrogating Mylène. She looked like she was crying. _If a pokémon acts out violently, the police could take it from its trainer,_ he remembered, _I can't let that happen. Aggron is a good pokémon, he and Mylène shouldn't be separated._

"I recorded everything after the girl with her mawile showed up." Alya said. "I'd be happy to give you a copy of the video."

Adrien rocked back on his heels and forward to the balls of his feet, his concern split between Mylène just yards away and Marinette off at her home. "Look, I only watched, and all I saw was what Alya recorded, can I go now?"

"Hold on a moment. I saw you talking with that girl. What did she say? Who is she?"

"She just told me that she couldn't talk and then she left!"

Adrien felt Nino's hand on his shoulder again. "Dude, chill. Marinette's fine." _Or she's lying to keep you from worrying. That is exactly the kind of thing she'd do, isn't it?_

 _But I guess I can only trust her._ Adrien took a deep breath, still unable to calm himself enough to stand still, but making a marked improvement. His eyes tracked over to Mylène again. He glared at the cop next to her. _Stop asking her about it! It's obviously upsetting her, so leave it alone!_

"If you could give us a description of the girl…"

"She wore the scarf to cover her face. I don't have a description to give you," he snapped. "Excuse me." Without another thought, he stalked over to Mylène, exchanging a look with Ivan, who stood nearby.

"I-I don't know what happened!" Mylène sobbed. "He's normally really gentle! H-he just- started crying all of a sudden and the next thing I knew…"

"Look, Miss, if there was anything that might have set this off…"

As much as Adrien wanted to tell off the cop for pushing it, he knew that he'd probably already get in trouble for being so curt with the other policewoman. An Agreste couldn't just straight up yell at a police officer. Instead, he touched Mylène's shoulder gently, and lowered his voice. "Hey, it's alright. He's safe now, and as soon as we're done here we'll bring Aggron straight to the Pokémon Center. Yeah?" Mylène looked up at him timidly. "We'll figure out what happened, and we'll keep it from happening ever again. Okay? But first you need to tell us everything you can."

Mylène gulped and nodded. Her breath was shaky and shallow. "W-well… we did hear some people talking about me, but nothing like that would make him- do _that_. He's gentle, really! He would never hurt anyone!"

"I know, Mylène," Adrien murmured. And he did. Mylène's aggron was beloved by their whole class. He was docile and always extremely careful with his bulk and strength. There could be no safer pokémon to be around, really. _That's why this makes no sense, and why it's so scary. Especially for her._ Adrien looked the cop in the eye. "I know Aggron too. I can vouch for Mylène. He's one of the nicest pokémon you'll ever meet. Something must have happened to make him do what he did. But whatever that was, it wasn't him."

Adrien placed himself between the cop and Mylène. He knew perfectly well that the law allowed police officers to take pokémon from trainers if that pokémon acted out violently or if there was evidence of abuse. _I won't let them take Aggron. I don't care about my dumb reputation, if they try anything…_

The policeman stroked his chin. "Look, kids, I know you love your pokémon but-"

"But what?" Ivan crossed his arms, managing to look intimidating despite being several inches shorter than the policeman.

"This is a large pokémon that acted out. We have to take it."

"No," Adrien said immediately, stepping more deliberately between Mylène and the policeman. His hand twitched toward his bag, where his own pokémon were waiting in their balls.

"Look at the damage it caused, boy. You're all very lucky you didn't get hurt." He gestured with his head to the crumbling buildings around them, and then motioned sharply to the ambulances in the street outside. "Some weren't so lucky. We have to take the aggron into rehabilitation. Miss, the pokéball?"

Adrien stared at the piles of brick that he had been so terrified covered the body of one of his only, even tentative, friends, and faltered. He saw, through the gate, someone caressing their arm and being guided into and ambulance, with a paramedic hovering over them the whole time.

He wanted to vomit.

 _How did this happen? It doesn't make any sense!_

 _Marinette could be in one of those ambulances right now. Nino or Juleka could be in one of those ambulances._

Adrien reacted instinctively when he saw Mylène's small hand holding out a pokéball. He touched her wrist, pausing her as he knitted his brows together and looked at the cop. Everything was a little blurry. "It's a behavior check, right? You'll return him the moment he's cleared, right? That's how it works?"

"If it's cleared, yes. It'd be returned to its trainer as soon as possible."

Adrien _really_ did not like the policeman's implication, but he stepped aside. _It's Mylène's decision. If she wants to give Aggron willingly then… But this is so unfair! It's not his fault! I refuse to believe that._

"I'm going to need you to sign this form, Miss. It's just for the records so we know that the aggron is yours."

"O-of course." With shaking hands, Mylène signed the document, handing the clipboard back to the policeman with nothing more to say.

The officer's expression turned gentle. "We'll figure out why your aggron acted out. I'm sure we'll have him back to you in no time." Mylène just nodded and turned into Ivan, hugging him tightly as he held her in turn.

He took a deep, unsteady breath. _It'll be fine. This is aggron, after all. Mylène will have him back by the end of the week._ A sweet, calming fragrance hit his nose, immediately taking the edge off his nerves. He had experienced it enough times to know to look back at Juleka. _Roserade's Aromatherapy._

Juleka gave him a shy smile, which he returned as best he could to thank her. Roserade seemed concerned, but gave him an encouraging smile. He turned back to see that Mylène had calmed down enough to stop crying, but she was still clinging to Ivan. Adrien closed his eyes and took another deep breath, letting Roserade's Aromatherapy calm him.

 _That girl though… she used mega evolution._ He patted his bag gently, knowing that Plagg was tucked away inside his pokéball there. _I wish I could have asked her about it._

 _Oh well. My dad is totally going to freak out, but I really want to go with Alya and Nino to check on Marinette before going home._

He pulled out his phone, seeing several messages from Natalie already, and quickly sent her one telling her that he was okay, but he couldn't go home yet because he was giving his statement to the police. _And they don't need to know that I'm taking a detour after this is done. I'll just tell them that it took a long time._ He made sure to add that his whole class was giving statements, so he had no idea how long it would take and that they shouldn't send the car to pick him up. _"I'll text you when I'm on my way home." That should work._ He smiled, sending the message, and turned to Juleka and Nino, who had been dismissed by the policewoman talking to them, apparently, and had hurried over. Alya was frantically tapping away at her phone, but she smiled at the policewoman and hurried over to join them a moment later.

"Are we going to see Marinette?" Adrien asked.

Alya furrowed her brow, taking on a steely look and a twitching frown. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Adrien sometimes forgot that Marinette responded to him like he was actually the black plague. When he followed Alya up the stairs to her room and hardly even gave Alya time to start scolding her before he stepped around her to put his hands on Marinette's shoulders was one of those times. "You're okay?" He asked, knowing his voice was just a little weaker than it probably should have been but not really having the energy to care. "I was worried."

Marinette flushed red. _Ah, oops, forgot about that. I should let her go._ He awkwardly let go of her and took a step back. _Personal space, Adrien. Nice going._ She opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a confusing jumble of incoherent noises and sentence fragments. After a second, she just shut her mouth and nodded, much to Adrien's relief. _Arceus, I need to figure out what is up with her. That's definitely not how she talks to Chat. Or anyone else. It's just me. Did I really make that bad of a first impression? Then again, you invade her personal space on a regular basis, maybe she just thinks you're annoying. Not exactly the reaction to "annoying" though._

Alya pushed Adrien to the side and took hold of Marinette herself, shaking her a little. "Girl that was so uncool! How could you run off without letting us know you were safe?! We were about to start a search and rescue for you!"

"I'm sorry!" Marinette squeaked. "I got trapped in the building, and that girl with the scarf got me out. She told me to run so I did. I just came straight home. I was going to call you, I swear!"

Alya went quiet. She narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Alright, but don't do that again! I'm just so glad you're okay!" After what looked like a bone-crushing hug from Alya, Nino gave her a hug as well, telling her not to scare them all like that again. _Hey, why don't I get a hug? I was scared too. But she'd spontaneously combust if it was_ me _._ "So you talked to Ladybug?"

Marinette tilted her head slightly and frowned. "Ladybug?"

"That's what I'm calling her, because of the scarf, until she tells us who she is or gives us her own alias. She was so cool, wasn't she?!"

"U-uh, I wouldn't know. I was hiding. I wasn't watching what was happening."

"Girl, you _have_ to see the video! She used mega evolution! I've only ever heard of top tier trainers using that! She must be someone absolutely amazing, especially if she has to hide her face! Everyone probably would recognize her if she didn't. She's probably at least on the same tier as a Gym Leader, maybe even the Elite Four!"

Marinette looked positively stricken. She seemed a little pale, and her eyes were wide, her jaw hanging open as she stared at Alya. "Marinette, are you sure you're okay?" Adrien asked, touching her shoulder again gently.

She jumped at the contact. "F-fine! I'm just fine! Swear!"

Alya looked between them quickly. "But, Marinette, the school is wrecked. Aggron really did a number on it."

"Oh no, do you think we'll still be able to have class?"

"I doubt it. Half our classrooms are trashed. It'll take a while to clean up."

"Maybe they'll arrange something?" Adrien said. He actually liked school. Having it destroyed wouldn't be the best thing for him, since it's where most of his time with his friends was spent. "They wouldn't cancel school, right? There has to be a precedent for this."

Alya nodded sternly. "There is. The last time a pokémon destroyed the school, several decades ago I think, they relocated most of the classes into Prism Tower. The Gym Leader at that time did her best to arrange everything, and some of the surrounding buildings also had to hold classes. Church basements, empty floors on office buildings, wherever they could find the space. We'll most likely have at least a few days off and then we'll be put in whatever other building they can find for us."

"Oh, great."

"It shouldn't be that bad." Alya bumped him gently with her shoulder, giving him a smile. "We should all be together at least, since we're in the same class."

"That's true," Nino said, "plus we have Friday off, at least. No school! It's great!"

Adrien laughed along with them, despite not really sharing the sentiment. _We're nearly done with this performance. I'll have a lot of time, so I can spend some of it hanging out with these guys and still have time to head over to the studio. Yeah. I'll make it work. I'll use this time to finish up this project and start choreographing my live performance. I should see what Juleka is planning to do. Probably a date with Rose. Speaking of, they were doing something today, weren't they? I hope this didn't mess up their plans._

 _And who's with Mylène right now?_

Adrien nervously tapped his phone. "Do any of you have any idea why Aggron did that?" He asked suddenly.

The entire room seemed to dim. "No," Alya said, "but I'm going to find out. And if it happens to another pokémon, we know we have Ladybug out there to help."

"You don't think it was a random incident?"

"With Ladybug popping up out of nowhere, using _mega evolution_? I'm not sure, but I'm wary."

 _Mega evolution. Could that have something to do with this? It is kind of odd that I get those stones and Ladybug appears the next day. And pokémon going crazy? Was… did Ladybug get her stones the same way I did? Are we supposed to be helping these pokémon? Is that why it was given to me?_

 _I need to talk to her._

"Yo, dude, you alright?" Nino asked.

Adrien blinked, refocusing on his friends. "Yeah, fine, just thinking." He looked at Alya. "I think you're right. Ladybug might know something. You should try to find her!"

"A-actually, she covered her face, right?" Marinette stuttered out. "She probably doesn't want people to know who she is! You shouldn't try to find her if she doesn't want to be found."

Alya tapped her chin. "Of course I wouldn't tell anyone who she is if I did find her, but I think you're right Adrien. She might know something and we need to be sure this won't happen again. That means figuring out what caused it in the first place."

"Guys, guys," Nino said, "we should really just leave that to the cops. Pokémon going feral? You do realize how dangerous that is. And we don't even know that there's more than one. This could be totally random!"

 _It could be, but so far it's the only hint I have as to why I was given a Mega Stone._

"Come on, Nino!" Alya exclaimed. "It'll be fun! We'll be careful. Besides, we owe it to Mylène to at least try, right? Even if it's an isolated incident, there still has to be an explanation."


	6. Make It Work

Marinette spent at least thirty minutes just glaring at the Mega and Key Stones, nestled in their box. She didn't want to let it get to her, but ever since Alya pointed out her use of mega evolution in The Aggron Incident, which happened the day after she found the stones in her bag, Marinette knew there was something afoot. _I knew it was shady. I said it. I called it. So shady. I should get rid of these._

 _But what if whatever happened to Aggron happens to another pokémon?_

 _No, of course it was just a freak accident. As if anyone could purposely make pokémon violent, even if they wanted to. And who would want to? It's crazy. It's safer to get rid of these, and pretend the whole Ladybug thing never happened._

 _But what if it does happen again, and no one's there to stop it? What if whoever gave these to me knew what was going to happen?_

 _What's going to happen? It does seem shady… should I keep an eye out? What if I do need to help again? I still can't let people know who I am, if people find out a clumsy school girl has a Mega Stone I'd just be a wounded cherubi waiting for a starly to come around and eat me._

 _Okay that metaphor is a little horrifying, um._

 _Anyway, the point is that I can't tell people, so what do I do if I have to fight again? Just hypothetically?_

Marinette felt her eyes drawn to her bag as if it was a magnet. _No. That's an absolutely horrible idea._ She took out her sketchbook, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the scarf still bundled up at the bottom of her bag. _Absolutely insane. No. You know what? Even if another pokémon does lose it, it's not my problem. I'm just a kid trying to be a fashion designer. I'm just trying to do this job for this dumb performer, that's all. That's why we have cops. Pokémon act out all the time, this isn't a new thing. People have been handling this situation since we started partnering with pokémon, they don't need a school girl to dress up in dumb polka dots and save them._

 _Yeah. We don't need any heroes. And even if we did, I'm certainly not one._

Marinette felt her ralts teleport onto her head. He clung to her hair so he wouldn't fall off when she moved and let out a little squeak. "Ah, sorry Ralts," she said, reaching up to pet him, remembering his powers. "Was I being scary?" Ralts let out a small cry in response and nuzzled into Marinette's hair. She smiled, feeling a little better at his antics, and decided to just close the box containing the two precious stones for the night, turning to focus totally on her design. "What do you think, Ralts?" Marinette asked, holding up the page with her current Chat Noir design. "Too stagey? It's a big stage performance but he did say he liked casual. We've got to find the right balance, you know." Ralts crawled forward, perilously close to falling off Marinette's head. She raised a hand to catch him if necessary.

After eyeing her design, Ralts tumbled forward. Marinette caught him swiftly and sat him on her lap. He then reached out and tapped on the paper, looking up at her with big eyes. Marinette looked at where Ralts was indicating and chuckled. "No, baby. I'm not giving him a tail. He said he learned to dance with the tail he has. If I made him a new one, it would move differently and he doesn't have enough time to learn with it before the performance." Ralts hummed and frowned. Marinette rolled her eyes. "Tell you what, the tail is pretty signature for him. I'll take a look at it next time I see him, and I'll see if I can't mimic it or incorporate the one he has now into the design. That way it's the same one he's used to and he can still dance with it."

Ralts' beaming smile made Marinette grin as she wrote a note next to her sketch, and added on a rough tail. With a critical eye, Marinette spent the next half hour watching Chat Noir videos on repeat, paying special attention to the way he moved and the way his tail moved and, especially, what his tail looked like. After several attempts and a lot of minor edits, Marinette created a variation of the design incorporating the tail (which she begrudgingly liked just a tiny bit better. She added a note with an arrow to the tail saying "A belt? Really?" just to spite him despite how much it had grown on her.)

 _I can't be sure if I can really use the tail until I get my hands on it, but I'm liking how it's turning out._ Marinette grabbed her phone, sending a text to Juleka.

M – I think I'm ready to have my next meeting with Mr. Guyliner, whenever he can fit me into his busy, busy schedule.  
J – Actually, he's filming his performance tomorrow morning, so you can talk to him then. He has the recording room blocked for 7-8, so anytime just before or after would work for him  
M – I'll be there at 8. Does he usually get up before 7?  
J – Often  
M – What an animal.  
J – Lol I'm so telling him you said that. You've signed yourself up for the puns, "Princess"  
M – Juleka, I thought you loved me. Why would you do this?  
J – I sent him a screenshot of this  
J – His reaction is, and I quote, "OH ARCEUS PURRINCESS THIS IS GOING TO BE SO GREAT"  
M – I swear, if he's just spouting off puns tomorrow I will never forgive you.  
J – Too late. It's your own fault anyway  
M – I did not pun to the cat. That was you. This is your fault.  
J – He would have started eventually  
M – That does not make this better.  
J – They're pretty funny usually  
M – They're absolutely awful.  
J – ABSOLutely? PAWful?  
M – I hate you, goodnight.  
J – Lol night Mari

* * *

Marinette ended up heading over to the Centrico Plaza Trainer PR Studio with only just enough time to get there at eight in the morning. She stepped in the building to see Juleka and Chat Noir casually conversing in the lounge area.

Chat Noir waved her over with a big grin. _Oh no._ "Princess! So wonderful of you to make it! I do a _paw_ logize that I'm a little sweaty. Just recorded, after all, and if I showered I'd have to put on the makeup all over again."

"It's… fine. Could you stand for me?" Marinette dug out her sketchbook and dropped her bag next to Juleka, pulling her pencil out of her pocket. He stood, looking curiously at her as she circled him. Shifting her sketchbook beneath her arm, and putting her pencil behind her ear, she reached out and lifted his tail.

And he _jumped_.

Marinette dropped the tail in shock, but gave him a flat look when she realized what had happened. He grinned sheepishly. "Ah, well, Princess, if you wanted some tail you could have just asked."

 _There's the flirting._ "Okay first of all, _no_. Second, I'm going to look at your tail, okay? Because apparently that's sensitive for you?"

He flushed, making Marinette smile just a little. "Well, I just- I didn't expect it is all." He picked up his own tail gently and held it out to her, not meeting her eyes. "By all means, Princess. Do me a favor and don't ever mention this again?"

She took the tail in her hands, turning it over and testing its elasticity, experimenting with how it moved. "Don't mention that I've got your tail or don't mention that you panicked when I so much as touched it?"

Juleka coughed to hide her snickering.

"In my defense, there is a reason for that. It is perfectly simple and scientific."

"Oh? Do tell."

"It's because shut up. Shut up is why."

Juleka was clutching her stomach with one hand and covering her mouth with the other. After a moment, she looked Marinette straight in the eyes. "It's a long story. He's basically been classically conditioned though, so don't grab the tail without warning." Juleka winked at him. "He bites."

"I do _not_."

Marinette rolled her eyes and let go of his tail. "I'm going to check how you have this fastened on, okay Kitty Cat? So keep those claws in."

"I'm not going to do anything, sheesh. You just startled me." He crossed his arms, pouting, as Marinette circled around him and lifted his hoodie to see how he attached the belt. _Pretty simple, he just folded it around the actual belt part. How long is this, for Arceus' sake, seriously? Where did he even get a belt this big with holes so far down it? He had to have had it custom, there's no way. That means at some point he thought, "I'm going to get a tail! What should I use to make it? Obviously a belt is the best way to go. Obviously." Gosh, how does that even happen in someone's mind unironically?_ "So, care to tell me why you're playing with my tail?"

"I'm debating whether to make you a new one."

His eyes shone when he grinned at her. "My new outfit will still have a tail?"

"Ideally. As you said, it's pretty signature Chat Noir." Marinette pulled on the buckle lightly, getting two fingers under it to tilt it up, as well as kneeling down herself, so she could examine it more closely. "I guess you could say it's part of your brand. And it adds a certain flair when you're dancing. You really know how to move so that it moves like a real tail. That's a skill that you shouldn't waste, given your persona."

"Aww, you're so kind. I didn't know you watched my dancing that closely."

"I'm designing for you, Guyliner. Of course I'm looking at these things." She tapped her chin, dropped his tail, and pulled her pencil out from behind her ear, opening her sketchbook to make some notes. "I think I'll make you a new one. It'll go with the design I have just a little better, but if it doesn't work out it shouldn't be a problem just using this one with the new outfit. So if it moves a little too awkwardly, then just use the one you're used to, make sense?"

"Yep. Got it."

"Good. Then here, this is what I have." Marinette moved next to him, so he could see the page over her shoulder. "The bulk is black, obviously, but I'm thinking these accents here are in green. It matches your eyes and makes you stand out a bit more."

Chat Noir breathed quietly over her shoulder for a few moments. Juleka stood to take a look at the design herself. Soon, Chat Noir smiled dazzlingly. He pointed to the dark lines on the jacket that Marinette had labelled "leather". "You're making me tabby?"

She hummed. "You could say that. Is that a problem?"

"Not at all, I think it looks really cool!"

"Good." Marinette pointed out a few more things with her pencil as she talked. "So essentially the jacket is the main feature. It'll have leather over the shoulders here, and as accents on the sleeves and body. How do you feel about the length of the sleeves here? I want to make sure you're comfortable showing your arms."

He waved her off. "I love it. I don't mind exposing my arms at all. And… I'll have gloves?"

"Yeah! That'll take some work for me to make sure they fit you perfectly, but so long as we can meet, it shouldn't be a problem. It's like your little paws."

Chat Noir looked at his hands. "Huh. I think that'll take some getting used to, but I'm all for it. Make sure they're… ah, yeah, they're fingerless. Good."

"Yeah, I figured if you were totally gloved you'd be at greater risk of slipping when you're doing your acrobatics."

"That should work."

"Plus, fingerless goes with the aesthetic better."

"That is true."

"What do you think about the short jacket? You'll have a shirt under it, but…"

"I think it's interesting!" Chat Noir gave her a wink. "It's certainly different, but I think it goes well with my style. The fans will remember it, that's for sure." He chuckled. "This is still so amazing for me. I've never even tried anything like this before."

Marinette snickered. "Your fans will have never seen you like this before." _You and your baggy hoodie. So unflattering. We're showing off that body, boy. The fans will love it. I almost feel bad about it, you're so innocent._

"That's true!" He agreed quickly. "I've had clothes custom made before but I've rarely been the real client. Mostly other people just tell me what to wear. The only times I've gotten things for myself were accessories for Chat. Never a real outfit. This is actually really exciting."

Marinette hummed. "I can only imagine. To your credit, you're a pretty fun client. I'm enjoying this as well. 'Cat' is a pretty unique image, not going to lie. It's been fun coming up with this design. I'm looking forward to making it. Speaking of which." Marinette met his eyes. "I'll need to take your measurements."

"Of course! When did you want to do that?"

"Now." Marinette reached into her bag, taking out her tape measure. "It should only take a moment. I'm going to get a bit up close and personal though. If you make one comment, I'm yanking your tail."

Chat gave her a flat look. "I've done this before, you know."

"Yeah, well, I have to make sure. Some people get uncomfortable and you panicked when I grabbed your fake tail so…"

"You just surprised me!"

"Sure, Kitten."

Chat Noir stayed quiet while Marinette took his measurements. Only after she was writing down the last number did he speak again. "So I'm 'Kitten' now?"

Marinette grinned at him, putting her pencil behind her ear again and snapping her sketchbook shut. "Only when you're being cute."

"You think I'm cute?"

"Rarely."

"But I have my moments."

"I suppose that's true."

Chat Noir beamed at her. "You like me."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"We're friends now, aren't we?"

"Absolutely not."

" _Absol_ utely?"

"Juleka already used that pun last night."

Chat Noir turned to Juleka, feigning shock and offence. "Jules, I thought we were friends. You know I wanted to use that one!"

Juleka shrugged. "Sorry, Skitty, I had an op _purr_ tunity."

"I'm so betrayed right now."

"You love me."

"I do; you're the worst."

Juleka turned to Marinette. "Is that all you needed today? I should go meet with Rose soon."

"For now, I think."

Chat Noir stretched. "Good." After a big yawn, he looked at Marinette with wide eyes. "Oh yeah, Juleka told me about what happened yesterday. Are you okay? That must have been really scary."

"I didn't see most of it," Marinette said, recalling her story. "I hid as soon as possible and left as soon as I was told it was safe."

"Still, are you sure you're okay?" Chat Noir touched her shoulder gently, looking at her with concern.

Marinette packed away her sketchbook, taking her pencil and placing it carefully in its pocket in her bag as well. "I'm fine, Chat. Really. I wasn't even in the thick of it." She caught his green eyes and hesitated. "Thanks for asking. But seriously, I'm okay. I'm more worried for Mylène."

Chat pursed his lips. "It's okay to be a little shaken up, you know. I would be."

Marinette pictured Aggron charging toward her, her vision upside down as she prepared to do probably the stupidest thing she'd ever attempted. She pictured the blind running as she sprinted nowhere except _away_ from Aggron's falling body, and later, from Adrien Agreste and their classmates. She knew her voice was too harsh before she even spoke. She didn't really care. "I'm fine, Chat. Drop it."

He reached out to touch her, but hesitated. Instead, he drew back, putting his hands in his hoodie pocket and rocking on his feet. "Okay. Sorry. I'm just worried about you."

"I know." She tried to make her voice gentle again. "I know, and I appreciate it, but I'm okay. You don't need to worry about me." Even as she spoke, Marinette pictured the ice shattering beneath Aggron's feet and the earth shaking as he trashed. And worst of all, that horrible, painful grinding noise he made. She shook her head, double checking her bag before she set out. "I'll see you another time, Chat."


	7. Chat Noir, Ascend

"So…" Adrien said, looking over to Juleka after Marinette had left. "You have a date?"

Juleka smiled. "We're going to Café Kizuna. It's not fancy or anything."

Adrien grinned, putting his arm around her shoulder. "I'll walk you there! I want to get started with my new performance and since we're supposed to have school I didn't book the rehearsal room. I think I'll head over to Rouge Plaza and find a quiet spot to practice. It's usually not crowded."

"You're going to practice for your live show in public? How daring."

"Performers practice in public all the time! Besides, I'm starting a new performance so it'll be less spoiler-y anyway since I'm just experimenting with things. It'll be fine."

"Unless someone recognizes you and you get a crowd."

" _Even_ if I get a crowd. You know what things are like this early on. No worries."

Juleka wrapped her arm around his waist and handed him his duffel bag. "Just be careful when you're done. You can't go home while you're still in costume and people might recognize you going in and out."

"I will be. Don't worry." He slung the bag over his shoulder. "Ready?" Juleka smiled and pulled him out the door. It wasn't long before people started pointing at them. He smirked at the reactions, carefully eyeing a few people who were taking video. "You know, people might think you're dating a famous internet star."

"Too gay for that."

"Yes, but they don't know that." He tapped her shoulder nervously with the hand he had around her. "Is this okay? You'll almost definitely be asked about it."

"If it wasn't okay I would have pushed you off before we left, Adrien." She pulled on him gently with her hand around his waist. "We're friends, this is fine. It's not like we haven't walked together before."

"That was when I was out of costume."

"I think holding hands with Adrien Agreste in this part of Lumiose City is a little more noteworthy than walking with Chat Noir."

"That might be true. It's just I know you're a little shy and I don't want to give you attention you don't want."

"It's fine. I appreciate it, though."

The two made their way down Hibernal Avenue, not paying much attention to the people looking at them after that. After a few minutes, they passed the side street that would lead them to Jaune Plaza. Adrien looked down the street, pausing for a moment. _I wonder where we'll be having school now. And I wonder what Ladybug is doing._ "Juleka?"

"Hmm?" When he looked, he saw that Juleka's eyes were on him rather than the street leading to their school. Her brow was furrowed and her lips twitched into a small frown.

"Do you think that girl with the mega mawile has anything to do with my Mega Stone?"

Juleka glanced down the street. "Maybe. I wouldn't think we'd see someone with mega evolution just randomly. Especially with what happened with Aggron…"

"I was just thinking, maybe I'm supposed to be helping her. Maybe whatever happened to Aggron is a thing now and I was given the Mega Stone to help stop it. And maybe it's the same for her."

"Maybe. I wouldn't worry too much about it though. You still have your big performance, and only a month to prepare. You still have to choreograph the whole thing, and we don't know for sure that what happened to Aggron will happen again."

"I suppose…"

"Hey," she said, squeezing him gently. "If it happens again, then maybe you can help. If not, there's no use worrying about it. We'll figure out what happened with Aggron, and we'll figure out why someone gave you those stones. We don't have to hurry. Stay focused, okay?"

He sighed. "I can't even mega evolve Plagg though. I tried last night, but I couldn't. I was just thinking that maybe if I could, if I had helped Ladybug yesterday then maybe we could have saved more of the school, or kept some of those kids from being injured."

"We weren't even there, Adrien. We didn't know anything was happening until that girl had already nearly solved it. Even if you could mega evolve Plagg, you couldn't have done anything yesterday. Don't beat yourself up about it. She handled it, right?"

"Yeah." Adrien tore his eyes from the street, trying to purge the image of the ruined school building from his mind. "You're right. Sorry."

She pulled him away, continuing their walk. "Focus on your performance. Don't worry about that unless you have to. And I know you'll figure out mega evolution. You don't have to rush that, either."

"I understand," he said, letting out a long breath. "I'll take a step back."

She hummed. "Good."

They walked in amiable silence for the rest of the way. When they arrived outside Café Kizuna, Rose was waiting there for them. She looked at him, wide eyed, and then to Juleka. "Ah, you said you were friends with Chat Noir, but, wow, um…"

"You must be Rose." Adrien grinned, holding a hand out to her. "I've heard so much about you." Rose looked starstruck as she took his hand. He raised it to his lips. "You're even more beautiful than in the pictures."

Rose squeaked a little while Juleka smacked his chest lightly. "Alright, Chat, go practice."

"I'll leave you then." With a wave to Rose and a wink, he called to them as he turned away. "Have fun on your date, ladies!"

* * *

Luckily, when Adrien made his way to Rouge Plaza, there was a nice open area that would work well for his practice, and no one really bothered him. He did notice one or two people looking, but that was just to be expected. He was doing some purposefully showy things and he was dressed like a cat, so of course he drew attention.

It took a few moments, but Adrien quickly got into "Performer Mode", so he was able to focus entirely on what he was doing. He didn't even notice when he drew a crowd at first until he had successfully gone through move combinations he thought might look good.

 _Okay. Silver Wind plus Dark Pulse equals very, very volatile wind. Who would have guessed? Pretty though. A bit dangerous to use, unfortunately._ He looked around to make sure that he hadn't accidentally hurt anyone, and was relieved to see that the people still watching him had smartly moved to another part of the plaza, and were just watching from a distance. _Good. Also good, lucky we were outside for that. Haha, I remember the Flamethrower-Water Pulse incident. Not fun. That was also just me being stupid, though. Really, a room full of steam was kind of predictable._

 _A Sunny Day might look really pretty off Plagg's Night Slash. Fire and Dark is a combination as old as time though. Maybe I can-_

Adrien flinched, being shocked out of his thoughts by the loud piercing screech of… something. Adrien turned to the noise, but it must have come from beyond the line of buildings surrounding Rouge Plaza. Murmurs throughout the plaza began. "Everyone, back in your pokéballs," Adrien ordered. He returned all except Plagg and Tikki. "Tikki, fly ahead and see what's happening. Plagg, let's go."

Sprinting through alleyways and side streets, Adrien pulled his Key Stone out of his pocket. _Please, don't be what I think it is. Please don't._ He caught sight of Tikki above the buildings, looking panicked. She pointed to the street ahead of her, somewhere just beyond the line of buildings Adrien was trying to get around. He cut through an alley and skidded to a stop just before jumping out into Autumnal Avenue.

Cautiously, he peered around the corner.

The first thing that stood out to him was the strange hum. It was half buzz, half chittering, but all pained and stressed. It filled the entire street, making Adrien feel like he was buzzing after a few seconds of listening to it.

The next thing he noticed was the backs of all the pedestrians fleeing. He had to turn his head and look the other direction to see what they were fleeing from.

A heracross was pursuing a fletchinder. The small bird was fast and nimble but its flying was shaky and not nearly fast enough to escape the heracross' relentless pursuit. _It must have already gotten hurt. That heracross looks dangerous._ The two rocketed past him, leaving a gust of wind trailing after them. _I have to help. This_ has _to be why I was given the Mega Stone. Ladybug might even show up soon._

Biting his lip, Adrien turned to look at Plagg and Tikki, who had lowered down next to him. He held up the Key Stone and pulled Plagg's Mega Stone out of his pocket as well, letting Plagg take it. "Plagg, we have to do it this time. Okay? Ladybug's not here yet and someone needs to stop that Heracross from hurting anyone." He looked out again, seeing that a young trainer ( _He can't be even a teenager yet!_ ) was in the street, calling out to the fletchinder. The bird, wisely, was drawing the heracross' attention away but Adrien knew that if fletchinder was taken down, which it seemed it would soon, the boy was the next obvious target. _I'll make myself the target before that happens._ He touched the Key Stone and made eye contact with Plagg. "Plagg! Mega evolve!"

He held his breath, but nothing happened.

"Come on, Plagg, please! You've got to mega evolve!"

Plagg put down the Mega Stone and growled.

Adrien felt like that buzz was shaking the air in his lungs, but he knew Plagg well enough to know what he was saying. "You're right. Sorry." He bent down to pick up the Mega Stone, putting it and the Key Stone in his bag before tucking it away behind a nearby dumpster. "I know you're trying; I can't blame you." He peered once again around the corner of the building. "But we can't just leave. We're still going to go out there. Can we handle that, Plagg? Tikki?"

Both pokémon gave noises of agreement, so without looking back, Adrien stepped out into Autumnal Avenue. The fletchinder caught sight of him and flew at an angle, towards him but not leading Heracross directly at him. "Tikki," he called, watching the situation. "Mach Punch."

As the two pokémon flew by, Tikki zoomed out, intercepting the heracross and knocking it away with a precise hit. Unfortunately, Tikki was small and her attack didn't seem to faze the heracross much. All she really did was get its attention. _That's fine though._ "Plagg, Feint Attack."

Plagg darted forward, side-stepping heracross' charge and quickly tackling it from the side. The heracross just steadied itself and faced down Plagg and Tikki.

The heracross' horn glowed. _Megahorn. We absolutely can't let that hit. Tikki isn't strong enough and that's terrible for Plagg._ "Acrobatics! Stone Edge!"

Just as the heracross took off, flying towards Plagg, Tikki dove down, using her speed to land hits and get away before the heracross could even turn. Plagg planted his paws, and between him and around the heracross, spires of glowing rock burst from the ground. Only one of them just grazed the heracross, but the light around Tikki's hands swiftly weaving between the stones before the heracross had a chance to burst through was inspiring.

 _Arceus, don't get distracted! It's pretty, but that's not the point right now! Stop performing!_

Of course, that was when the heracross decided neither Tikki nor Plagg was the real target. No, instead, it came straight at Adrien.

Adrien wasn't sure what had happened. As he watched heracross fly at him, his only thought was transposing Aggron over it, thinking: _This is what Ladybug faced._ The next thing he knew, the heracross was behind him, and Plagg's horn was glowing darkly with the power of a Night Slash. He was yanked to the side by his hood, which had, apparently, fallen back.

His eyes met Tikki's. Tikki took his face in her hands and urgently yelled out something at him. He obviously didn't understand her and he didn't really have the mental capacity to try to interpret. _I almost died. If that heracross had hit me I'd be…_

The buzz felt like it shook his whole body. Adrien thought that maybe he was just shaking.

"Boy! Get away!" An electric, amplified voice snapped him out of his daze. He cupped Tikki's face in his hand and looked over to where several police officers had taken positions.

He turned, seeing the heracross buzzing around, trying to get past Plagg, who leapt and snarled, a one pokémon wall between Adrien and that huge horn intent on skewering him. Far behind them, Adrien was relieved to see the young trainer and the fletchinder turning the corner into a side street and getting away from Autumnal Avenue.

The heracross kept making that strange chittering and the buzz that made Adrien's skin crawl, and as it got more and more frustrated with Plagg, the sound only got louder and louder.

Adrien wanted to take the cop's advice. He wanted to just turn tail and sprint away as fast as he could. He wanted to return Plagg and Tikki and hide and let the cops handle the situation.

And he would have, he was going to, until he realized something very important.

The heracross let out a loud cry, landing a solid hit and sending Plagg flying down the street. Adrien immediately stepped forward to run to Plagg's aid, but the heracross flew straight in front of him, ramming it's horn straight into the building. It cried out, the chittering increasing in volume and pitch, until Adrien had to raise his hands to cover his ears. It pulled back, ramming into the brick building again and again until there was a large hole in the side of the store. And then it just flew a few feet down and started ramming the building again.

Adrien felt its buzzing deep in his gut, deep in his skull, and he could only wonder what agony the heracross was in.

Further down the street, Plagg stood, shaking off the hit but limping just slightly. Adrien raised a hand to tell him to stay. And then Adrien slowly, carefully, stepped towards the heracross.

 _What's making you do this? Aggron was in pain too, I'm sure of it. Something is hurting you._ Adrien pulled his hood back up, using it and an arm to protect his face somewhat from the debris being scattered by heracross' hits to the building.

The glass next to him shattered. Adrien flinched down, bending his knees to make himself smaller, but he looked back up at the heracross with only one thought. _Why are you hurting?_

The cops were yelling at him, but they didn't know. Adrien knew they had no idea how much pain the heracross was in. They'd only hurt it more. Force it into submission and chain it up and let it suffer. _I need to find a way to stop it._ Adrien reached out when heracross got its horn stuck in the brick and rubble, and gently touched its smooth carapace.

And that's when the heracross became enshrouded in light.

The light blinded him and heracross jerked sideways. Adrien reacted instinctively, clinging to the large horn that knocked into him. He felt the breath leave his lungs and his feet leave the ground.

Adrien knew what happened, but he didn't want to open his eyes to confirm it. Instead he just gritted his teeth and clung even tighter to the heracross' horn.

The chittering had disappeared, and the only buzz was the vibration of insect wings. Adrien also knew that the horn he was clinging to was not nearly the right shape, and it was far too large.

Plagg's yowls, growing only more distant, made Adrien finally open his eyes. _Don't look down,_ he thought, but the normal humor he wanted was lost in the situation.

He looked down.

Autumnal Avenue, the cops, the ruined storefront, and Plagg all fell away, growing more and more distant as the heracross flew higher and higher. Right up next to him, though, was Tikki. Only her presence gave Adrien the peace of mind to really register what was happening. _This is… the heracross… mega evolved._

 _How is that possible?!_

The heracross chittered softly and started bucking. Pure terror locked Adrien's muscles around the horn, but unlike before it mega evolved, there was no crest on the end of the horn he could have caught. When it pitched forward, throwing Adrien upside down, he had nothing to cling to.

He slid.

And he fell.

He felt Tikki desperately clinging to the back of his hoodie, but she wasn't nearly big or strong enough to stop his descent. He saw Plagg sitting on the street and following him intently with his eyes.

Adrien wondered if the fact that all he saw was the asphalt speeding towards him, and not some cheesy flashback to all the greatest moments of his short life, meant he wasn't going to die.


	8. Convergence

After leaving Juleka and Chat, Marinette didn't go straight home. Instead, she went to the fabric store. _Why does it have to be all the way on South Boulevard? They should really build another one. Maybe near the river, across from Adrien's house. That's like… halfway between my house and Vernal Avenue? Or close anyway. Or they could just build one near Boutique Couture. Still closer than South freaking Boulevard._

Somewhere near Bleu Plaza, Marinette had to stop and cover her face in exasperation. _I forgot to talk to Chat about money, didn't I? Arceus, I am terrible at this. Well, I'm not going to interrupt Juleka's date, so I guess this is just a scouting mission._

 _I wonder what he's doing right now. Maybe it would have been a good idea to get his number. There's at least a fifty percent chance he'd blow up my phone with cat memes if I did, though._

 _Okay, maybe that's a little unfair. He hasn't been that bad. He doesn't even pun as much as I thought he would. And I can forgive him for the tail thing because that was basically asking to be an innuendo. I'm not really innocent there either. And it was… nice of him to ask if I was okay. He's not involved; he didn't really have to. He's not really just his persona. He'll have to work for it to get me to admit it, but I think I really do kind of like him. He's pretty fun. He's not really all that over the top, either. He's just another guy. Maybe he wouldn't abuse having my number._

 _Still, not much to do about it now. How much of the fabric that I have at home can I use? I don't have any leather, I don't think. I should have some good black fabric for the jacket, though. I know I don't have the green I want. Dang, if I'm going to use that black I'll need to get it to compare. Off blacks are a no-no. Eh, I'll just approximate the cost for the whole thing, pretending I don't have any fabric already. Then I'll text Juleka about it maybe tonight._

Marinette sighed and thumbed the pokéballs on her belt as she continued on her way.

She ended up spending a long time at the fabric store. Most of that time was spent trying to find just the right material to use for Chat's tail, and Marinette had a few ideas on how to pull that off. She figured the best way to do it would be to use different fabrics and make her own textile. It wouldn't necessarily be a belt like his current one was, but it would still emulate a tail for him. _I just need to make sure I get it just right. And how it looks is important too, I can make it perfect but if it doesn't work with the outfit better than his belt then there's not much point._

She didn't expect one of her pokémon to come out of the ball without being called, nor did she expect that pokémon to start tugging on her pant-leg insistently. Carefully, she put the roll of fabric she was holding back in its place, and turned to face Ralts. "What is it, baby? What's wrong?"

Ralts cried out to her wrapping his arms around himself like he always did when he was scared. Marinette picked him up, holding him close. "You've been here hundreds of times, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Ralts let out a small wail and pointed to the fabric Marinette had been looking at. She just glanced at Ralts incredulously. "The… fabric was scaring you?" He shook his head vehemently and pointed again, yelling just a little too loudly. "Shh, it's okay baby. You're talking about… Chat Noir? Is Chat scared? Are you feeling him?"

Ralts shook his head and wrapped his arms around himself again. "I don't understand, what does Chat, or this fabric, have to do with what you're feeling?" Ralts pointed in the general direction of the door, then back at the fabric, crying out again. Marinette wracked her mind for any possible interpretation of what her pokémon was saying. "Are you talking about the PR studio? Are you sensing something from where we met Chat?"

Ralts nodded his head insistently, tugging lightly on Marinette's collar. He pointed in the general direction of the door, crying out once more. Marinette felt a chill run down her spine. "What could possibly be happening over there?" _Something bad is happening if Ralts wants me to go help._ "What is it? What's going on?" Ralts just shrugged and tugged on her collar some more. "Okay, okay, we can go." He wriggled in her arms, and hugged himself again, letting out a loud cry. "Shh, baby, not so loud! We're going, okay? We'll figure out what's happening, we'll calm everyone down."

Marinette said that, but she knew the tension rising in her own gut was only making Ralts more nervous. _What is going on? Ralts wouldn't normally try to get me to help. Last time he felt something from this far away, though, it was a fire that destroyed an entire building. I think a lot of people have to feel the same thing for him to pick it up from this distance, so something big must be happening._ Marinette frowned, shifting Ralts to one arm and taking out her phone. He clung to her, but looked at her phone curiously. She quickly typed up a text to Alya.

M – Ralts is freaking out, what's going on over there?

Marinette started heading for the door, holding Ralts and her phone, which vibrated only after she had gotten into the streets.

A – looking in2 it  
A – ARCEUS  
A – its another feral pokémon a heracross on Autumnal Avenue it looks like some kid is trying to fight it  
A – im heading over there hope ladybug knows  
A – ill keep you upd8ed

Marinette gritted her teeth. _Another pokémon? Then it wasn't just an accident. That means there's a big chance that I really was given those stones so I could be Ladybug._

 _No! It's none of my business. Random or not, it's the police's job to handle it. I can't get involved._

Ralts nuzzled into her, whining softly. Marinette felt the tension in her chest increase. _Ralts is terrified, though. And so am I. I should do something._

 _No! There's no place for vigilantes! You did that last time to protect yourself, let the people there protect themselves too._ Ralts cried out, tearing Marinette from her thoughts. He looked into her eyes intently, shaking his head and pressing gently on her chest, over her heart.

He couldn't speak to her, but Marinette had literally raised Ralts. She knew well enough what he meant. _Do the right thing. What if that's leaving it well enough alone?!_

Ralts wriggled in her arms so she was forced to put him down. Pressed against the buildings so as not to get into anyone's way, she knelt down next to him. "What is it?"

Ralts cried out energetically, raising his arms in a little fighting pose. Marinette sighed. "Baby, I can't fight. It's none of my business. Let the cops handle it." Ralts shook his head, shaking his fists lightly to emphasize his point. "Why do you want me there? What can I do?"

Marinette's phone buzzed before he could respond. She checked it quickly.

A – mari chat noir is fighting the heracross no sign of LB still on my way

 _Chat Noir is fighting? Why is Chat Noir fighting?! He's a performer! He probably hasn't even been in a real battle, what's he going to do?!_ Marinette shifted uncomfortably when she couldn't shake the thought. _Probably just as much as you. He's going to get himself killed, oh Arceus._

Ralts hugged himself again. "Ah, sorry Ralts. Sorry I'm being scary it's just…" She turned her phone so he could see. Ralts crawled up onto her knees and touched Marinette's face. He pointed in the general direction of Centrico Plaza. "No, Ralts, I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do!"

Ralts let out a cry, this time in frustration, and suddenly Marinette was sitting in grass in Jaune Plaza. "Ralts!" she exclaimed. "You know you can't control long distance teleporting very well yet!" She picked him up quickly and glanced around to get her bearings before running to her home, just on the other side of the plaza. Ralts curled into her, yawning. _He's not strong enough for that either. Poor baby, he needs rest._ "You shouldn't do that without warning. And definitely not without more practice!"

Entering the bakery, Marinette sighed. _Chiding him won't do any good. He's already asleep._ With a quick greeting to her parents, Marinette went up to her room, laying Ralts down on the chaise and letting her bisharp out of his pokéball. "Watch over Ralts, please," she told him, grabbing the scarf and sunglasses she had stolen to become Ladybug. _Ralts really wanted me to do this for some reason. I guess I can at least check out the situation._ Hesitating, Marinette grabbed the box containing the Mega and Key Stones as well, shoving it and the disguise into her bag. _I'll change shirts too, just in case._

Marinette ran downstairs, flying out the back door without even seeing her parents. She called goodbye to them instead and ran.

A – oh arceus this is BAD  
A – wheres ladybug

Marinette didn't bother responding, she just sprinted as fast as she could towards Autumnal Avenue. It took far, far too long. Marinette knew that there was no way she'd be able to get there in time to do anything. _Good. The police will have it handled, I'll just check on Chat Noir, make sure he's okay. Everything will be fine._

When she passed through an alley with no one in sight, Marinette wrenched the scarf out of her bag and wrapped it around her neck, making sure it covered her face, and put on the sunglasses just as she burst into the next street. Still running, she reached into her bag to open the box and pull out the two stones, slipping them into her pockets deliberately.

* * *

When she arrived on Autumnal Avenue, Chat Noir was hugging Juleka's girafarig like his life depended on it. Next to them, Juleka stared up at something in the sky. Chat's ledian clung to him, and his absol sat further down the street, staring upwards like Juleka. Behind them, Rose held a pokéball in a trembling hand.

Marinette followed their gazes to see the mega heracross flying far above them.

 _What? Wait, Alya didn't say it was a mega heracross! How could it have even mega evolved? Does that mean someone sent it out specifically? So it's not like Aggron?_

 _Someone is using mega evolution to cause chaos? Why would they do that?_

Marinette made her way over to Chat Noir, trying to get a view of his face, which was buried into Girafarig's neck. _Now that I think about it, Aggron is a pokémon we know can mega evolve. Maybe he was targeted because of that. But Mylène doesn't have a Mega Stone, and no one else could pull it off with him. Is that why he didn't evolve? Or are these really unrelated incidents?_

 _Chat…_

She couldn't see clearly, but she thought that maybe he was crying. The way his torso heaved made it clear to Marinette that his breathing was terribly harsh and irregular, though he didn't make any sound.

Marinette swallowed the lump in her throat. _I need to resolve this and get the full story. It's no use trying to piece everything together from just this._ She tore her eyes from Chat and faced Juleka instead.

Juleka looked at her and then at Chat. "Heracross got him by surprise," she said. "It lifted him up and he fell from almost as high as it is now. Girafarig saved him."

"Psychic?"

Juleka nodded. _That must have been so terrifying._ Marinette spared a moment to place a hand on Chat's back before turning away and stepping out into the street.

"Miss," a police officer called, "please stay back."

Marinette placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm the broiling feelings that felt like they were swirling inside her. Spiraling as if they were blown by a tornado, but subtle like the first bubbles in a pot of water just beginning to boil.

Because that's what she was. She was boiling over. She looked back at Chat, who was goofy and kind and charming in his own way, who was friendly and happy, and she saw him mumbling into Girafarig's neck, shaking and crying and terrified.

And she was angry.

 _This is the cop's job. Let them handle it. Take care of Chat and Juleka and Rose. Help the cops by getting them out of here and not coming back._

She shot a glare in the mega heracross' direction and spun on her heel, thumbing Mawile's pokéball as she approached Juleka again. "Let's get out of here. We'll be better off if we're out of the way. Let the police do their job." Juleka looked at her with wide eyes and nodded, immediately turning to Chat, kneeling next to him and rubbing his back. Marinette turned to Rose. "You should go. We'll help Chat and follow you."

Rose hesitated, and Chat Noir stood. He turned to Marinette and stepped toward her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "No, we can't leave yet. We have to h-help."

"Look, Chat Noir, we can't-"

"We have to! The police are just going to lock it up! It's in pain, something's hurting it! We have to figure out what it is and stop it. If the police get it, then it'll just suffer!"

 _Is it hurting? Aggron showed signs of pain too._ Marinette glanced to the mega heracross. "I'm sure the police can handle it. They'll figure out whatever's hurting that heracross. They don't want to see pokémon suffer either."

"But it has to be us, I'm sure of it!"

"Why? What could we do?"

"We can mega evolve!" _Wait, what? Chat can mega evolve too?_ "Well, _you_ can! I haven't figured it out yet, but someone gave us Mega Stones. I know it's so that we can fight this."

Juleka tapped her shoulder. "Whatever you do, choose quick," she said, pointing up.

Marinette looked to see the mega heracross diving down, nearly free-falling to the earth. "Chat, I don't know why we got mega stones. Frankly, I didn't even know you got one too. But _this_?" She gestured behind her. "This is a matter for the police, not us."

Chat pulled at his hair. "I don't care! I'm going to keep trying!"

Juleka stopped him from walking out by grabbing his arm. "You almost died."

"I know. I won't let it stop me. I'll save that pokémon. I know I can, somehow."

"You're acting a little irrational, Chat."

Chat glared at Juleka and muttered darkly. "Let go."

Juleka just gave Marinette a helpless look and let Chat pull away from her fingers. He reached into his pocket, taking out a pokéball and facing the mega heracross as it continued its dive. "Chat, it's not safe," Marinette said.

"It doesn't matter! What matters is that Heracross is in pain!"

"The police can handle it!"

"I don't think they can!"

"Let them try!"

"What are they going to do?!" Chat yelled, gesticulating wildly. "Huh? What can they do? None of their pokémon are strong enough to fight a mega evolved pokémon! It has to be us!"

When he turned and took another step out into the street, Marinette grabbed his hoodie and forcibly pulled him back, throwing him into the wall of a nearby building. She pinned him against the wall between her hands and glared at him, removing one hand from the wall to tilt her sunglasses down just enough that he could see her expression. "And what are _you_ going to do? Huh, _Chat Noir_? You said yourself that you can't mega evolve. You aren't even a fighter! You're a performer. That's all. And I'm sorry to tell you but this isn't a show." His eyes widened. Marinette was pretty sure the soft clack she heard was him dropping the pokéball in his hand. "You can't do anything, Chat. I don't care how much you want to. The police are in a better position than you are to help that heracross. Let them do their jobs."

It took a few long, long seconds, but Chat's slackened jaw went rigid, his wide eyes narrowed and averted their gaze, and his brow furrowed as he crossed his arms. " _You_ can help."

"No, Chat. I'm not a hero. I never wanted to be. Let the police handle it."

He raised his gaze to look her in the eye again. "It doesn't matter if you never wanted to be a hero, you know." Marinette gulped because his voice was cold and stoic. "You can't always control what you are." He growled out his last sentence to her, his voice shaking as it was overtaken with hints of hurt and anger. "Or what you aren't. That doesn't mean you step back and don't try."

She felt his leg move and only realized what happened too late to stop him. The sound of a pokémon being released from it pokéball behind her confirmed her fears. She looked down, where there was no pokéball at her feet.

"Zoroark, stop that heracross!"


	9. Chat Noir, Descend

_And what are_ you _going to do? Huh,_ Chat Noir _?"_ Adrien curled his fingers into his palms, feeling his nails digging into his own skin. _"You're a performer. That's all."_ He felt the rough brick digging into his back, pressing on his shoulder blades, still nowhere near as painful as the words of a stranger. _"You can't mega evolve."_ He found it difficult to continue looking at the blue flame in Ladybug's eyes. _"This isn't a show."_

 _This isn't a show. I never pretended it was. Why doesn't she see that?_

 _I thought she was a hero._

 _"I'm not a hero. I never wanted to be."_

Adrien couldn't do anything but look her in the eyes for what he was about to say, even though the words didn't come out right. "It doesn't matter," he said, "if you never wanted to be a hero, you know." _You are a hero. You are. I saw you with Aggron. You can't say you're not a hero._ "You can't always control what you are." _Just because you don't want to be something doesn't mean you aren't. I never asked to be part of a legacy. I never asked to be a part of my father's company. I am, though, and I make what I can with it._ "Or what you aren't." _I never asked to be a hero either. I never wanted mega evolution. I never wanted to fight pokémon going mad. But I have to. To help everyone._ "That doesn't mean you step back and don't try." _You can be okay in situations you didn't ask for. You can be things you didn't want to be, and still be happy. You_ are _a hero._

 _I don't know if I am, but you… you definitely are._

Adrien rolled Rocco's pokéball under his foot and kicked it between Ladybug's legs. "Zoroark," he called after his pokémon had come out, careful not to use his nickname to avoid connections between Chat Noir and Adrien, "stop that heracross!"

Ladybug planted a hand firmly on his chest and turned to watch as Adrien's zoroark grinned and cast out his illusions, conjuring an image of a pidgeot in the heracross' blind spot. The pidgeot flew in front of the heracross, blocking it and drawing its attention so that it was just harmlessly chasing the illusion around in the sky.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug turned on him. Adrien could tell she was going to chastise him, even though he couldn't see her face, and he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Look, Ladybug," he growled, "I don't know who gave us the Mega Stones. All I know is that I have to believe that, whoever they are, they believe we can _do_ something. I _have_ to believe that they believe in us." The pressure on his chest from Ladybug's hold lightened slightly. "And, Ladybug, I believe in us too. I think we can help. I really, truly, believe that. Obviously more than you do, at least."

After a moment, Ladybug's hand on his chest fell. "You want to fight," she said simply. "You want to fight a wild, violent, mega evolved pokémon."

"I want to save it."

"How do you know there's a difference?"

"If fighting is what I have to do to help, then I'll fight."

"You're not a fighter. _I'm_ not a fighter."

"I'll make myself a fighter if I have to. I can't ignore it. We've been given the power to fight them for a reason, Ladybug. I can't… I can't access that just yet, but I'm still not going to just sit idle. Please, fight with me. If we work together, I know we can-"

"Shut up!" Ladybug pulled a pokéball from her belt, looking over at Juleka and Rose. "You two get out of here. We'll handle this." _We will? We will! She's going to fight!_

Juleka grabbed Rose by the arm and hesitated. "Girafarig can-"

The sound of a pokémon being released cut her off. Adrien nearly jumped out of his skin when a huge spider appeared right next to him. "Ariados can catch us with his webs if that happens again. Take Girafarig with you."

Juleka nodded resolutely, called back her pokémon, and guided Rose away from Autumnal Avenue.

And Ariados kept _staring_ at Adrien. It made his skin crawl. _I'm not scared of spiders but sweet Arceus._

Ladybug released another pokémon, fished something out of her pocket, and tossed it at that pokémon. "Mawile, mega evolve."

 _Mawile is kind of terrifying too, up close. Golly, what other pokémon does this girl have?_ Ladybug gave him a look he couldn't decipher behind her large sunglasses. "You better have a p-"

The buzzing returned full force without any warning, cutting off Ladybug and shaking Adrien to his core. A glance and a loud boom let him know that the heracross had given up chasing the illusory pidgeot in that moment and decided instead to nose-dive straight into the street.

Coughing into his shirt, which he pulled up to try and protect his lungs from the huge cloud of dust and debris that came up from the impact, Adrien carefully took a step forward so that he was side by side with Ladybug.

Adrien didn't think a single pokémon could even be as deafening as the heracross was being, at least, not any pokémon that wasn't an exploud or something of its ilk. Lucky Ladybug had her scarf covering her nose and mouth, so she had both hands free to cover her ears, but Adrien could only cover one even somewhat effectively because his other hand was tangled up in his shirt. He wasn't sure Ladybug would hear him if he tried to answer her.

The buzzing shot through his body like the bass at a concert, and with every step closer to the pokemon, the stronger it became. It tickled him all over, made him want to rub himself down to get everything to stop vibrating.

With Ladybug at his side and Mawile and Rocco coming up behind them, the two trainers peered through the dust to try and make out the thrashing pokémon in the middle of its own miniature little crater. _It's acting up again, like just before it mega evolved._ "Ladybug!" he called, but the buzzing and chittering drowned out his voice. He tried once more, moving closer to her. "Lady!" She turned to him slightly, and he could see her eyebrow raise over the edge of the large sunglasses. "The thrashing! It did that before it mega evolved! It was just attacking the wall!" Her mouth opened in an "o" and her brow furrowed. _I hope she understood me. Not that I have any idea what that means or how it's relevant._

Something bumped into his leg, drawing his attention. _Plagg! Good._ The heracross' thrashing just kept kicking up more dust so Adrien couldn't see Tikki anywhere, but he assumed she was close by. Watching the heracross, Adrien felt the bubbling fear in his chest start to rise, so he put a hand in Plagg's fur and reached behind him with the other hand, which Rocco took and squeezed. Despite not being able to hear anything but that incessant buzzing, Adrien was sure Rocco was letting out some gentle barks like he sometimes did when he knew Adrien needed some vocal reassurance.

"Ugh, shut it up!" Ladybug screamed. "I can't _think_!"

 _It's just too loud. Tikki could clear the dust with a wind attack but she couldn't hear me if I did tell her to. At least visibility isn't so low that we can't fight here if we have to. Not yet, anyway._ The heracross didn't seem intent on doing much but slamming its head into the ground. Which was concerning, but not an immediate danger. "Lady, we need to calm it down!"

"Right!" She pulled yet another pokéball off her belt and covered her face when no pokémon came out of it. "Misdreavus, this is not the time to fool around!"

"Misdreavus, huh?" Adrien muttered. "If it knows Psychic, we cou- ah!" The ghost appeared out of thin air not a centimeter from his face, making him jump back, bumping into Rocco, who held him steady. Adrien placed a hand over his heart, feeling his crazy pulse, though he couldn't exactly blame that entirely on Misdreavus.

"Hold it still!" Ladybug ordered, pointing to the heracross. Misdreavus turned and smiled, and the heracross' wings stopped, quieting everything at least a little, and it lifted into the air, crying out.

Which didn't last long. It was only a span of seconds, if that much, before the heracross broke free and immediately turned its attention to them. _Oops._ It charged, flying towards Ladybug. Adrien saw her lock up, noticed the way her muscles tensed, so he dove, effectively tackling her to the ground, safe at least from that attack.

Adrien looked up to see the heracross pitch sideways and get intercepted by Rocco's Dark Pulse and thrown into the same storefront (luckily) it had already destroyed earlier. Despite that, it just stood and shook and chittered and took off again, aiming at Rocco this time. "Mawile!" Ladybug called.

Mawile jumped and caught the heracross in her jaws like a dog would catch a Frisbee. With one motion, she spun in the air and launched heracross at the ground, where she landed on top of it in the next second, clamping one set of jaws on the heracross' horn and the other on one of its arms, pinning it down. _Woah._ "Chat, what do we do?"

Chat honestly didn't know. He had a vulpix who knew hypnosis, who could potentially help, but she was way too young to be put in a battle like that. _Something's making these pokémon act up though, maybe some sort of signal or maybe something on them? Something artificial, otherwise these attacks couldn't be coordinated, and given we have two right after getting Mega Stones, I think them being coordinated is a good bet._ "Keep it still," he said. "I'm going to investigate."

He stepped close, way too close. Ladybug was screaming at him, even Mawile was looking at him like he was crazy, but he had to at least look. _Maybe we missed something, maybe someone is messing with these pokémon somehow. Is there anything strange about this heracross at all, aside from its behavior?_

It was struggling; Mawile was struggling to keep it still; Adrien jumped onto its back and started looking for anything, anything at all, that was out of the ordinary. With a mighty heave, the heracross managed to push its wing coverings up, making Adrien and Mawile both tumble off. It jumped to its feet, chittering and lowering its horn at them threateningly.

Mawile shot an Ice Beam at the heracross, making it jump to the side. Then Mawile leapt at it, scrapping with it in close quarters where it couldn't use its horn as a lance. When Mawile managed to flip it over and slam it on the ground, far too close to him for comfort, he saw what he was looking for. The buzzing wings obscured his view in the next second, but Adrien was sure that under the heracross' shell, somehow, there was some small silver… thing, stuck to it.

Adrien booked it back to Ladybug's side, giving Mawile and the heracross a wide berth. "Ladybug, under its shell," he panted, "something…" he tapped his own lower back in the general spot he saw whatever the thing was.

Ladybug nodded to show she understood. Adrien just had a hard time breathing. Now that the heracross was fighting Mawile and not the ground, the dust had begun to settle, but running around their fight after his fall and being tossed around on the heracross in the first place had made him downright exhausted. Adrenaline and that incessant buzzing tickling him all over kept him standing. And, of course, the air was still thick and dirty and Adrien still tried to hold his shirt over his mouth when he could, which didn't help matters.

He called all of his pokémon to his side as Ladybug focused on the heracross, keeping it busy with Mawile (and some backup from Misdreavus and Ariados where they could help). "Guys," he said, "there's a little thing, some kind of device or something, under the heracross' wings. Try to steal it." Rocco grinned. "But be careful. If that thing hits you, I'm putting you straight back in the pokéball until we can get to a Pokémon Center, got it?"

His pokémon nodded, and he sent them out. They circled the brawl still ensuing between the two mega evolved pokémon, communicating with Misdreavus and Ariados as they passed until all the pokémon had the fight surrounded. Chat Noir turned to Ladybug. "They're going to try to snatch whatever that thing was while Mawile keeps it busy."

"Got it." She nodded to Ariados and Misdreavus, telling them to follow suit, when her pokémon looked to her to confirm the plan.

They made a good effort. The heracross was being heckled on all sides, being worn down, and Mawile was holding her own, keeping the fight close and taking advantage of the fact that she had a shorter reach. She was enough of a threat that the heracross couldn't turn its attention to any of the others for long. Whenever Mawile managed to get heracross pinned for even a moment, one of the surrounding pokémon would dart forward, trying to steal away the object, but the heracross' fluttering wings and its hard shell covering made it near impossible.

Eventually, the heracross seemed to get frustrated and it flew straight up in the air, with Mawile clinging to it. "Ariados!" Ladybug shouted, prompting her pokémon to shoot a web straight up at them. The heracross was just fast enough, though, and pulled too high before the web could reach it. "Misdreavus!" Just before the web stopped its ascent completely, it suddenly started moving even faster, no doubt due to Misdreavus' Psychic, and trailed the heracross through the sky.

"Zoroark, help them out," Adrien said. Rocco put up some illusions, walls and pokémon distracting the heracross enough to slow it down or making it change directions. Misdreavus ignored them completely, and so the Sticky Web caught up in no time, falling through a brick wall to catch in heracross' wings and glue them open. Mawile, thinking fast, used her jaws to latch onto and swing on top of heracross, reaching onto it's back just before it broke free and threw Mawile off with its thrashing.

Misdreavus caught Mawile and a huge Sticky Web across the rooftops, forming a canopy for Autumnal Avenue, caught the heracross before it was able to right itself in flight. Luckily, despite its strength, the more it struggled, the more tangled up it seemed to get in the web.

Mawile touched down and immediately ran to put the small circular device in Ladybug's hand. She held it up curiously. "What is it?"

Adrien leaned over to look closer at it as well. "I don't know, but look, the heracross is still in pain." Above them, the heracross was still thrashing, chittering, and generally crying out.

On the device, a small light blinked. "How do we turn it off?"

"I don't know!" Adrien took the device from her, turning it over to find it nearly entirely smooth all around. "Let's just break it."

"Wait, we don't know what it is!"

"It might be what's hurting that heracross!"

"It could also tell us how, or who's behind this, or it could be totally harmless! Maybe it's a medical thing!"

"You kids!" A cop ran up, panting. "What do you think you're doing!"

"More than you." Ladybug shot back. "That heracross was mega evolved. You _needed_ a mega evolved pokémon to fight it. I can use mega evolution, so I helped. Here." She snatched the device out of Adrien's hand and gave it to the cop. "This was on the heracross. Any idea what it is?"

The cop looked taken aback, and then examined the device. "No idea," she said. Ladybug looked at Adrien, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking behind those dark shades and the polka-dotted scarf. In half a second, she snatched the device back and tossed it to Mawile, who caught it in her jaws and crushed it easily. "Hey!"

Ladybug ignored the cop ranting about destroying evidence and stared upwards. Adrien followed her gaze.

 _The chittering stopped._ "Lady, is it…"

"It's changing back," she confirmed, awe in her voice. Far above them, a flash of light encircled the mega heracross, and its original form appeared in its place. All movement stopped. "Cut it down. Misdreavus, be ready to catch it."

"Right," Adrien said. "Absol."

Plagg sent out a few well-placed attacks, severing the web and sending the heracross plummeting to the street. Its descent slowed quickly and it floated gently to the street nearby. Adrien wasn't sure if it was unconscious or asleep, but it didn't look like it was getting up anytime soon. _Speaking of sleep, that sounds really good right now._

He swayed on his feet, being caught and steadied by Rocco. Not a moment later some police officer was at his side, fussing over him as other cops surrounded the heracross. Adrien just stared at Ladybug. _She was right. I couldn't do much of anything. It was Mawile that was really able to fight, and even then Misdreavus and Ariados were more helpful than any of us were. If I can't mega evolve, then I'm no better than anyone else here._

 _Her though… wow._


	10. The Rite of Heroes

Marinette was glad her face was almost entirely covered by her disguise. For one, it saved her from the dust that Chat Noir was clearly having some difficulties with, and besides that it saved her from having to hide her expression (something she's never been very good at) from the police officers and Chat.

She was keenly aware of the medical person, an EMT or something, she wasn't sure, looking over Chat Noir behind her while she talked to one of the officers. She obstinately refused all requests for her to come with them to the police station. She didn't want anyone, even the police, to know who she was, and besides that, she really just wanted to go home.

"Now, miss, we can't have kids going around playing vigilante," the officer had said.

"Now, officer, I tried sitting back. I was only trying to help get all the civilians out of here." She kept her voice strong, as strong as possible, even though she felt like crying, or curling up and sleeping for the next eternity. "But I stand by what I said. You needed a mega evolved pokémon to stand up to that heracross. You saw how effective your own attacks were, even ours when it wasn't Mawile."

The cop hesitated, and Marinette knew she got her there. Surely, the woman didn't like it. _Marinette_ didn't like it. But the fact of the matter was that normal pokémon just didn't stand a chance. "The boy?" the officer questioned.

"My partner," Marinette said easily, "we fight together. He was here before you, and he was protecting the people so they could get away. Otherwise he would have waited for me. He didn't mean to play the hero, he just tried to help." Marinette, of course, had no idea how much of that was true, it just seemed like the best story. She believed that Chat wouldn't have gotten himself involved initially if the cops had already had everything handled, which she figured they would be capable of before the heracross had mega evolved. _Though, with how he's been acting, that might not be a safe assumption…_

Still, the cop sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, and didn't contradict her. "Why the…" She gestured to Marinette's face.

"No one knows I have a Mega Stone. This was all I could think of to keep it that way."

"So your parents don't know what you're doing."

Marinette bit her lip. _Shoot, cornered myself there._ "Kids my age are out travelling all around the region, unsupervised. Legally, I can make my own decisions."

"That's true, but your parents would be worried."

"That's why I didn't tell them." Marinette tried to explain. "I didn't go looking for this, okay? I have the power to help so I am." The cop gave a pointed look towards Chat Noir. "He's my partner." Marinette stepped in front of her gaze, blocking Chat from her view. "I need him. We keep each other as safe as possible."

The cop shook her head. It was clear she disapproved, but strictly speaking there wasn't anything in the law prohibiting civilians from taking action in a situation like that. It was generally considered best to leave it to the professionals, but with trainers abound, they could often help greatly in subduing pokémon especially. Still, those trainers who helped were typically asked not to put themselves at risk. "What was that thing you broke?"

"I don't know. Chat thinks it might be what was making the heracross rampage like that." Marinette paused, picking up the broken pieces of the small device. She handed them to the officer. "There was an aggron, two days ago, at the school in Jaune Plaza. Do you know of it?"

"Of course; it tore up the school. All the classes are being relocated."

"We think it's the same thing. If what I'm getting about what happened before I arrived is true, then it's likely that Aggron was close to mega evolving before we managed to get it back in its pokéball. Chat said the heracross was thrashing about, attacking the wall, Aggron did the same thing." Marinette stroked her chin. "I don't know if Aggron would have mega evolved if it had been out much longer, but that aggron was taken in for rehabilitation. If you could, try looking for one of these on it. If there is one, then we know that it was this driving them crazy." Marinette turned to Chat, and looked over her shoulder back at the cop. "Oh, yeah, and if it is that thing, then it's still on him, which means you guys are going to want to be careful when you release that aggron from the pokéball. Be ready with… I don't know, tranquilizers or something."

Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette saw Alya in the crowd of police, holding up her phone. _Of course she's here. Though that is sort of my fault. I did tell her._ Shaking her head, she turned to Chat Noir, only to be assaulted by some new stranger. He introduced himself, but Marinette wasn't really listening, and he started talking to her in a soothing voice, asking for permission to check her over to make sure she wasn't hurt. _Another medical person. Okay._ "You and your friend were in a pretty scary situation," he said. Marinette nodded stiffly. "We can provide counselors, if you need them." Marinette shook her head. _Talking about this is the last thing I want to do. Especially not with a stranger. I can't just let people know who I am._

She brushed past the man and knelt next to Chat, who was sitting on the ground, leaning heavily into his Zoroark. His ledian zoomed around, landing gently on her lap once she was seated, and cupped her face, mumbling something with a soft voice. Marinette stoked the ledian's head and looked over at Chat. _Even his pokémon are ridiculously compassionate._ "Chat Noir," she said. He opened his eyes to look tiredly at her. "I'm sorry."

He just gave her a pained, lopsided grin and shook his head. _I said such awful things to him, but… we really did manage to pull it off. He was right. We_ saved _that heracross. If he hadn't been so insistent, there's no telling if or when we would have found out what was causing these outbursts. If Aggron has one of those things too, he might never be released back to Mylène if we didn't find out about them._

After answering all the rest of the police's questions, the lady to talked to her at first came up. "You two should probably get out of here before we clear out, or you'll be swarmed." She gestured to the ever-increasing crowd of people being held back by a line of police.

"Good idea. Chat." Marinette shook him gently. _He fell asleep. I don't blame him._ "Chat, it's time to go."

He blinked as he woke and pushed back against Zoroark, who stood and hoisted him to his feet. "Right," Chat mumbled, more lucid but clearly still needing a well-earned nap. _I'm right there with you, Chat._ The cop walked away, leaving them alone, and Chat Noir blinked at her. He tilted his head, indicating. "You came from that direction, right? You live that way? I'll walk you home."

The thought rubbed Marinette the wrong way, even though she wasn't clear on why. _He was given a Mega Stone too, but still I'm not sure I'm comfortable letting anyone know, not even him._ "Chat…" she began, "I'm really not comfortable with anyone knowing who I am right now. I want to be able to live my life just… normal."

"I wouldn't tell anyone."

"I know, just… maybe another time, okay? Not now."

Chat knit his brow together, but said nothing for a while. After a moment of awkward silence, he ended up breaking it. "Okay, so I won't walk you home. I know you're probably as exhausted as me, but could we… I don't know… walk somewhere? Talk for just a moment?"

Marinette gulped hard, and nodded. "Sure. Let's go." She returned all her pokémon to their pokéballs (though in Misdreavus' case, it wasn't likely she'd stay there long), and once Chat had returned his pokémon minus the ledian who had shaken her head when he tried and clung onto Marinette's shoulders.

"She likes you," Chat stated, reaching behind a dumpster and pulling out a duffel bag before they began their walk.

"Seems that way." Marinette reached up to pet the ledian, in much the same manner she often would pet Ralts.

The two walked side streets and alleyways for the most part, to avoid notice, only occasionally rushing across a bigger street before slipping away back into the urban jungle. They walked for a few minutes in silence before Chat nervously asked, "Do you really believe that?" Marinette looked at him. He had his eyes trained on the ground in front of his feet. "What you told the cop. Were you being serious? About… about me being your partner?"

 _Oh…_ Marinette felt her gut twist. She was, honestly, lying. It was hard not to have some connection to him, after what they had just gone through, but "partner" was pushing it a little, and Marinette had no intention of inviting him along if she ever needed to help out with another pokémon, not that she really had any intention of helping out again if she could avoid it. She didn't want to lie to him, but she knew the truth would hurt.

She sighed. "No. Chat, I still think what you did was stupid and irresponsible and…" She let out a short, quiet yell in frustration. He wrapped his arms around himself, and the ledian on her head stopped moving entirely, not even fidgeting. "And I still think fighting these pokémon is a terrible idea, and if there are more I definitely want no part in it." He bit his lip, and Marinette thought his eyes were unusually glassy. "And…" She looked away, not able to watch how he was breaking down at her words. "And I still think you're an idiot. I said it harshly, and I shouldn't have, but you _are_ a performer, Chat. And I'm just… I'm just a student. We aren't fighters. We couldn't handle ourselves in a coordinated battle, much less a death fight with a feral, _mega evolved_ pokémon.

"But you were right." She sighed again, closing her eyes just as Chat's snapped up to look at her. "I'm not sure if I really believe we can help, but since we're still in one piece, I guess your faith in us wasn't totally misguided. And it was because of you that we found that device that caused it. You were right. Who knows how long it would have taken for the police to find that on their own, and maybe it'll save some people if they haven't already started trying to help that aggron. If the police had caught that heracross from the beginning, whatever that thing was would still be driving it insane, so… I guess…"

"I didn't do anything."

"You saved that heracross."

"That was you. It was you and Mawile and your other pokémon."

Marinette shook her head, upset at watching Chat curl into himself. _He has no reason to… he did everything he could and more._ "No, it was _you_ ," Marinette insisted. "If it was just me, I would have never found that thing. If it was just me, I wouldn't have even fought, and if I had, I would have just subdued it long enough for the cops to get a cage around it. We would have just restrained it, not helped it. That was you, Chat."

Chat just stared at her with wide eyes. It was only after his ledian bounced on her head, nodding in agreement, that he finally spoke. "Do you really believe that?"

"I do."

He looked away, rubbing his neck as his cheeks grew slightly red. "D-do you think we could… do you think it's possible that we… _could_ be partners?"

"Chat."

"I'm serious!" He grabbed her hand in both of his, holding it and looking at her with pleading eyes. "This is the second attack, and there's enough evidence to think this is being done on purpose. The police, the city, still needs someone who can use mega evolution. To protect them. _You_. And I can help! I can't mega evolve, not yet, but Zoroark's illusions can help, at the very least. We worked together well! I can support you. And I… I don't want to leave you out there alone."

"Chat, you can't mega evolve."

"I know! But… you can. You're the hero! Let me be your sidekick, I know I can help."

"I know you could… but Chat, you're not a sidekick, and I'm not a hero."

Chat Noir looked above her head at Ledian, and shifted his eyes back to hers. He bit his lip, and stared intently. "You are to me. And you are to the city. That's twice now that you saved everyone, stopped the pokémon before anyone got hurt."

"People still got hurt, Chat."

"But a lot more would have if you didn't help. People were already talking about you after you stopped that aggron. They already think you're a hero, here to protect them."

Marinette rubbed her temples. _There's no winning this, is there? Well, I have an unfortunate track record for not avoiding these situations, even though I'm saying I will. I suppose if I'm running into them anyway, having backup would only be a good thing._ "If I'm going to be a hero," she muttered, "I'm going to need a better uniform."

Chat grinned at her. _Oops, he wasn't meant to hear that._ "I think you look lovely, Ladybug, though I would love to see your eyes. Actually, I know a young fashion designer. She's making my stage outfit for me. Maybe I can introduce you."

Marinette fought the urge to laugh. _Yes, introduce me to myself, the girl whose number you don't even have._ "As it happens, I know someone myself. I can handle it, Kitty. Let your girl focus on your outfit."

Chat pursed his lips for a moment. "Okay."

The two kept walking for a while more before Marinette decided it was best if they spit up. She rolled her eyes when Chat questioned her. "If I hear about another pokémon attack, I promise I'll show up. Okay?" She frowned. "But, compromise. I'm not getting involved unless it mega evolves. Now the cops know about those devices, they can handle it themselves, right?"

"Good enough. I'll definitely be there too."

"Okay then. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah…" Marinette turned and started walking away, out of the alley, until Chat Noir caught her hand. "Wait! Actually… Should we, uh… talk about…" He trained his eyes on the concrete again. "You know. We were really in danger. I've never done anything like that before, I was just-"

"So now that you've finally gotten me to agree to this, you're scared?" Marinette raised her eyebrows.

"I guess… yeah. You're right, sorry. I'll just go."

"Chat." He paused. Ledian flew over to him, landing gently on his head. "Just because we were given Mega Stones doesn't mean we have to fight. If you're scared, you don't have to."

"I want to." He petted his ledian absently. "Forget it, don't worry."

 _Oh, silly cat, now I'm not going to be able to stop worrying._ Marinette just shook her head and waved goodbye.

He was the one that walked away, lifting Ledian into his arms and vanishing into the city. Marinette tore the scarf and glasses from her face and put them in her bag, finding her way back home and sneaking in through the back. She quickly changed clothes, again, to ensure no one would connect her to the girl who was undoubtedly on television. When she was done, she greeted Ralts, who jumped and held his hands up, wanting to be carried. She obliged only long enough to sit down herself, placing Ralts on her lap. He smiled up at her brilliantly. _I'm glad you're happy, baby._ As she rubbed his head, she felt for her phone, which had been going off throughout her walk with Chat. _From Alya, of course._

A – girl ladybug showed up she and chat were so cool working together!  
A – its official im a fan  
A – im going 2 make a blog what do u think? itll be called the "Ladyblog" and ill upload videos of her awesomeness and keep lumiose upd8ed on its new heroine  
A – i just have so much 2 say about her and i know u guys r going 2 get tired of my rants real quick  
A – if u don't follow the ladyblog tho im kicking ur butts

Marinette just chuckled, knowing there wasn't anything she could do to stop Alya if she tried.

M – Don't forget about Chat Noir.  
A – i couldn't 4get about ur bf if i wanted 2


	11. No Man Is An Island

_What do you do when you just survived a near-death experience? And does every time I almost died count as another experience, or do they all just come together in one gross amalgamation of my own terror and stupidity? Can I safely say I have four near-death experiences under my belt now? Am I a master at avoiding the inevitability of death? No, the whole thing probably counts as one, actually. Just classify that under "Large, Angry Beetle" and call it a day._

A soft, breathy bark behind him drew Adrien out of his thoughts long enough to focus back on his pokémon. "Right," he sighed, shaking his head with a weary smile on his lips, "you all need to… or you already fed everyone." Adrien examined all his pokémon, chowing down on their individual bowls of food, save one, and looked at Rocco, who was standing close, sporting a cheeky grin. "Thanks Rocco. I could have done it, though." The zoroark shook his head and smiled, pointing to Adrien's bed. His intent was clear. _Rest. I wish._ "Did you get anything for yourself? You know you can't skip meals, buddy."

Rocco gave him a flat look. _Good point. Not like I haven't done that myself once or twice._ Then he picked up Adrien's phone, discarded on the sofa, and pointed to the time. _Dinner is in like ten minutes, yeah, but… oh._ "Rocco, you know what Dad says about you being in the dining room." Rocco rolled his eyes and moved forward to wrap his arms around Adrien's torso and pick him up in a hug. Despite Adrien's protests, Rocco just nuzzled into his shoulder, smiling, a gesture which Adrien had come to interpret in those situations as "I don't care; I'm doing it anyway and you'll let me because you love me". _He's right though. I'm certainly not going to stop him._ "You're not going to leave my side for even a moment, are you?"

Rocco just pulled back slightly and shook his head.

Adrien wrapped his arms around the zoroark in return. "Thank you." _I'm so lucky. I have the best pokémon ever. Of course he's worried about me, though, I've been a little out of it since we got back. And that was… kind of scary. In fact, it was probably scary for him too. I just wish doing this with Ladybug didn't mean putting my pok-_ "Hey! Rocco, put me down!"

Rocco had bent down slightly, moving his arms to Adrien's waist and hoisting him up. Adrien could do little to break free, but still he squirmed and struggled as Rocco started walking to the door. "I can walk to the dining room myself!" Rocco smiled and barked gently, making no move to put him down. When they got into the hall and Adrien gave up. Just leaning on Rocco's shoulder, defeated, he complained. "Ugh, you're the worst."

All he got in response was a happy bark.

Rocco finally put him down just outside the dining room. Both of them knew very well that his father wouldn't take kindly to Rocco being there at all, much less if he came in carrying Adrien. Pokémon at the dinner table was one thing, pokémon goofing off at the table was something else.

 _It's not like we haven't done this before,_ Adrien thought, opening the door. His father, upon looking up to see them enter, apparently had a similar thought. He sighed. "Adrien, we've talked about you bringing your pets to dinner."

Adrien frowned. It always bothered him when his pokémon were called "pets", but he'd long since given up that argument with his father. "We wanted to eat together," he said simply. No excuses, they wouldn't work anyway. Adrien was blatantly ignoring something his father was fairly persistent, though not especially harsh, on. "And it's only Rocco. Has he ever acted out during dinner?"

"No…"

"Good, then there's no problem." Adrien moved to his chair, pulling out the one next to him for Rocco to sit in on his way.

"Adrien," his father said, sounding exasperated, "it's improper to bring your pokémon to the table."

Adrien looked at Rocco, inclining his head slightly and sharing a mischievous grin. Rocco giggled just before his form changed and an exact replica of Adrien appeared in the chair in his place. "There."

Gabriel's disapproving look didn't faze Adrien. Normally, he'd be frightened of his father's disapproval, but they'd gone over that issue so many times that Adrien knew the complaining was more of a formality than anything else. Adrien was supposed to be a perfect heir and in a business setting, it wasn't polite to have pokémon at the table. Adrien, of course, followed the rule when he was actually in a business setting. Everyday dinner was another matter. "That is," Gabriel said, eyeing Rocco, "perhaps even more uncomfortable."

Adrien and Rocco shared a laugh before Rocco changed form again to look like a dark-skinned boy around Adrien's age. Rocco often used that form when he wanted people to think he was human, which he'd actually gotten away with in certain business parties before (keeping away from Adrien's father, of course). Adrien glanced at his father. "Better?"

"Marginally."

That was as good as they were going to get, so once Adrien had gone to get some food for Rocco, they all ate in relative silence (though in Adrien and Rocco's case, it was because Rocco couldn't actually speak. They still spent most of the meal quietly poking at each other and playing as much as they could without getting chastised.).

"I've been informed that your classes have been moved to the Prism Tower," Gabriel said towards the end of the meal.

Adrien nodded. "We thought so. We were wondering when we'd hear from the school, though."

"Classes start again tomorrow."

"Good. I'd hate for us all to fall behind schedule. I'll head out early tomorrow to make sure I can get there on time."

"You will be driven."

Adrien frowned. "Okay, but every day?" He wouldn't normally complain, but he'd gotten used to walking to school. The short walk was nice early in the morning, and energized Adrien for the day. Not to mention he usually met up with Nino not too far out, so they walked together for the most part. The walk to Prism Tower was a bit longer than the walk to school, but Adrien had walked to Centrico Plaza so many times that it seemed negligible to him.

"Every day for this week." Adrien just glanced at Rocco and shrugged. _Seems arbitrary, but he's set his mind on it, I guess. At least he's not pulling me out, so if it'll make him feel better then I'm not going to argue._

"Yes, sir."

Nothing more was said until his father stood from the table a short while later. "Good night, Adrien."

"Night, Dad." Adrien stared at his empty plate rather than looking up. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. When he did look up, the door was closing behind his father's back, and Rocco, still looking like a human, knit his eyebrows together and stared at Adrien with piercing blue eyes.

Rocco frowned and huffed, crossing his arms. He closed his eyes, shook his head, and grabbed Adrien by the wrist, pulling him out of his chair. Standing with him, Rocco pulled Adrien back to his room. With a warm look and a point, Adrien knew he was effectively being sent to bed. _Again._ The day he fought the heracross, he was out like a light the moment he got home, but that was early. Before dinner, even. Natalie had woken him to eat and he stayed up to go to bed at a somewhat regular time. The next day, Rocco and Tikki basically put him on bed rest. Aside from his one actual event that day, he was just being pointed back to his bed, or getting a book thrown at him. Of course, he was a lot less functional then. He just kept getting distracted. Thoughts of the heracross, or of Ladybug, or of mega evolution plagued his mind. Questions of whether he's really capable of what he promised to do, whether Ladybug was right after all in saying they should stay out of it, how much he could even help if he didn't die in the process.

 _Can I really throw myself into that again?_

Adrien shuddered at the thought. Running into it, naïvely, in the moment, was something totally different than having that looming over him. He couldn't feel safe. Even in his own room, in his own bed, in his pokémon's arms, he didn't know when or where, but he knew that he'd be putting his life at risk again.

So instead of dwelling on that, he just packed his Chat Noir outfit in his everyday bag and sent his thoughts to the only thing about the situation he wasn't terrified of. _Well, okay, she's a little terrifying. But wow, Ladybug is amazing. How long has she had her Mega Stone? If she got it at the same time as me then she just_ did _it. I wonder how. Maybe she can help me?_

Adrien felt a hand on his shoulder, guiding him to the bed. He rolled his eyes and complied, stepping over and around his other pokémon, who gathered near him. _We should get some way to contact each other. If she's serious about not wanting me to know who she is then it's not likely she'd give me her phone number. I guess if we both set up new email accounts, specifically for this, then there wouldn't be an issue? I'll go ahead and do it, and talk to her about it next time I see her. If she agrees, then I already have mine and I can give it to her so we don't need to wait until the next meeting to talk again._

 _Or, I guess I could just use my Chat Noir email account. That won't tell her who I am any more than it tells anyone else. Not that I'd mind. Under the circumstances, I think one more person knowing who Chat Noir is, and my partner no less, is the least of my worries._

Adrien sat on his bed, checking the time on his phone. _Why is it still so early? I swear it's almost like Rocco wants me to be responsible or something. Still, seven is a little_ too _early. At least I'm apparently really popular. Six messages? Sheesh._

Adrien opened the conversation with Nino first.

N – school tmrw dude. prism tower like alya said  
N – u wld think w our school bein literally destroyed wed get more than a wknd off  
A – we had Friday off.  
N – true but come on its a lil lame  
N – things couldve gone to shit like on a monday or smthin  
N – but no  
A – it's not that bad. you'd miss us all too much if we didn't have school.  
N – excuse u u mean u wld  
A – that's entirely too many "u"s for the length of that sentence.  
N – tbh wed just hang out of school we do all the time anyway  
N – and no thats a perfectly appropriate number of us thnk u vry much  
A – if you say so. does everyone else know?  
N – the school called our parents ofc they kno  
N – txting alya and mari to be sure tho  
A – cool, I'm going to go ahead and reply to these other texts now okay? so I'll let you go bother Alya.  
N – oooh mr popular w all his multiple txts  
N – i c u is one of ur many adoring fans blowing up ur phone or what  
N – or is it just ur secret gf  
N – did u teach rocco to use a phone hed do it wldnt he  
A – I don't have a secret gf. and Rocco knows how to use a phone, Nino. I'm pretty sure he's texted you before.  
N – what rly… o right i think i remember that actually  
N – not cool dude how should i know u need to get him his own phone or smthin  
N – he knows ur pass doesnt he  
A – of course he does.  
N – yeah ofc bc all trainers teach their pkmn to steal their phones and prank txt their best bros  
A – I didn't teach him anything, he figured it out.  
A – and I didn't change the password because I don't really care if he has access to it.  
N – why does he evn kno how to read  
N – or write  
N – does he kno how to write that seems like the kind of bs hed kno how to do  
A – I mean, sort of. his handwriting is garbage because claws.  
N – smh dude hes basically a person  
A – of course he's a person.  
N – i meant human  
A – if it means anything, he does currently look like one.  
N – see this is what im talking about bro  
N – he even uses his illusions to look like a human  
N – wtf  
A – it's just for fun.  
N – let me guess hes attractive  
N – if i could choose how to look id be attractive  
A – I'm not sure he really cares. what with him being a pokémon and most likely not attracted to humans.  
A – and, dude, you know what he looks like when he disguises himself as a human. you've seen him before. but I mean yeah, he's pretty attractive.  
N – wow dude now ur makin moves on ur pkmn so whack  
A – Arceus, no. are you inebriated right now? should I message you at another time when you're actually sober? or sane?  
N – no im just really tired alyas been bugging me abt her blog  
N – got like NO sleep last night bc I was messin w settings and stuff makin her blog look beautiful as your damn fake pseudo pkmn bf  
A – fake and pseudo are pretty much the same thing and we aren't pretending to date anyway.  
A – what would even be the point of that? aside from pissing off literally everyone. including the police.  
N – good point  
N – noted  
N – point is her blog is pretty af now  
N – and i am sleep deprived just in time for school  
A – go to sleep then, I'll text someone else.  
N – dude its like 730 we dont sleep at 730 its still light out  
A – I was considering going to sleep.  
N – ur also responsible  
N – okay yeah im going to sleep now im pretty sure ill just fall asleep on u anyway  
A – good night, Nino 3  
N – 333333333

Adrien looked up to see Rocco standing in front of the window, watching his own reflection, and changing his shirt color with a frown on his face. Adrien laughed, seeing it change from green to orange to blue to red and all sorts of other colors. Plagg and Tikki were together, as they often were, in a corner, keeping a watchful eye on Adrien's three younger pokémon, his eevee, amaura, and vulpix, who were chasing each other around the room, playing.

Adrien smiled at the sight and opened the second conversation, this one with Juleka.

J – How are you feeling?  
J – Adrien please, if you don't answer me I will steal you tomorrow  
J – Okay I know it's dinner for you now but seriously you're worrying me  
J – I know Tikki and Rocco are looking after you but I worry too. At least update me?  
A – oh man sorry Jules. don't worry, I'm fine.  
J – …  
A – really, there's no need to worry.  
J – Adrien you almost died  
J – And I know you somehow convinced Ladybug to fight again. If there's another attack I know you're going out there  
J – There is definitely 100% all the reason to worry  
A – how did you know that?  
J – Because I know you, dummy. There's pretty much no chance you didn't agree to be heroes together  
A – well okay yeah that happened. she made me promise not to get involved unless the pokémon mega evolves though.  
J – Good, at least that's something. With luck, the police can handle everything from here before something like that happens again  
A – you know what they say about black cats and luck, though.  
J – Yes, that if they cross your path, that's bad luck. No one said the black cat himself has bad luck  
A – touché.  
J – Just be careful  
A – of course.  
J – And if I hear about an attack and I don't hear from you within a few hours I am going to hunt you down  
J – You know Poochyena can sniff you out from across the city if he needs to  
A – I think you're exaggerating.  
A – but I appreciate the thought. don't worry, I'll be as careful as can be.  
A – and with Ladybug there with me, what could go wrong?  
J – Literally everything?  
A – psssh, it'll be fine. we're going to be ready, and we'll help people. it'll be great!  
J – I wish we were talking. Then I could tell if you really are as confident as you want me to think  
J – But okay. Get some sleep. You need rest, and we have school tomorrow  
A – I will. good night, Jules.


	12. Too Many Feels

"You know," Marinette said, rubbing her temples as she approached Alya, who was waiting for her at the base of Prism Tower, "having an empathic child around at all times? Not always all that great."

Alya cast her a sympathetic look. "Ralts is being troublesome?"

With a nod, Marinette sighed. "He's been upset all weekend, ever since those attacks. And when I can't calm him down I just get frustrated and that only makes everything worse."

"What do you think is causing it?"

 _Me, most likely. I can't exactly help it though, unfortunately._ "I don't know. I think people might be a little scared because of those attacks, and he's picking up on that."

Alya rubbed her back, guiding her into the building. "Do you think I could help? I'm definitely not scared, Ladybug and Chat Noir will be there to help if it happens again. And he knows me, so…"

 _If he has her to focus on instead of me, it might calm him at least a little. Arceus, I'm a terrible trainer. I can't keep my head and now Ralts is being upset because of it._ Marinette let out a deep breath. "Yes, probably. Thank you so much. I left him at home with Bisharp, though. Could you come over soon?"

"I can go after school, girl! Is he not good with Bisharp though? Usually Bisharp can handle it if you can't."

Marinette shrugged. _I may as well tell her the whole truth._ "From what Bisharp has been telling me, he's… calmer. But I guess the truth is I think I'm pretty freaked out by the whole thing too. So I can never see because I need to get away before he can calm down again."

"Hey, girl." Alya stopped her, holding her shoulder and turning her to face her straight on. "Everything will be fine. We've got heroes now! And we haven't had an attack since Friday. Maybe it was just a one-time thing!"

 _Based on that thing we found on the heracross, it's not likely it's a one-time thing. And us having "heroes" is exactly what worries me. Mostly because it's Chat and I putting our lives on the line here._

"Marinette, are you okay?" Alya cupped her face, making her allow eye contact. "What's on your mind? You're not just worried about the pokémon, are you?"

Marinette yawned and shook her head. "I'm worried about everyone. The last two attacks destroyed our school and tore up part of Autumnal Avenue. Plus, now Chat is throwing himself out there… And Ralts… and _you_ , running into it to get the news, Arceus, Alya."

"We know what we're doing, Mari." _Do we?_ "I'm staying behind the police line, and Chat had Ladybug with him. They'll only be stronger together, I know it. And don't you dare think what I know you're thinking. Raising ralts is hard for any trainer. You can't be all smiles and sunshine all the time, girl. Ralts being upset because of what you're feeling is not your fault and it doesn't make you any less of a trainer."

Marinette bit her lip. _Arceus, this is why she's my best friend. She always knows exactly what's wrong. Maybe I should tell her about the Mega Stone?_

 _No, if I did, then she'd be even more passionate about it. She might get herself into trouble. And she'd definitely worry about me. I don't want to worry her. I need to keep Ladybug a secret. From everyone. Even Chat. We know each other outside of that, we should keep whatever goes on between Chat Noir and Ladybug strictly professional. Otherwise… we might get distracted._

Marinette gave Alya a big hug, thanked her, and started towards the elevator. "Class is on the fourth floor," Alya said. Marinette pressed the button.

In the nick of time, Alya caught the doors for three boys approaching. "Thanks, Alya!" Adrien said, smiling pleasantly. Nino slipped into the elevator with a quick greeting to both girls, after which Adrien greeted Marinette properly, while the third boy entered silently.

"Oh! U-uh, h-hi Adrien! Nino." She glanced nervously between Adrien and the dark-skinned boy she wasn't familiar with. _I think I've seen him before, though. Maybe… in pictures somewhere?_ She dismissed the thought. All sorts of people seemed vaguely familiar. She probably passed by him once or something. Still, she snuck closer to Alya, away from all the boys, who took up the other side of the elevator.

Marinette watched curiously when the strange boy fitted himself between Adrien and Nino against the wall. He sighed quietly and looked over at Adrien, grabbing at his phone. Adrien just rolled his eyes and handed his phone over. The boy then smiled happily and threw one arm over Adrien's shoulders, focusing his attention on the phone.

 _Uh… maybe not? How does he know Adrien? And… sharing his phone? That seems odd._ Marinette felt Alya nudge her with an elbow. They met gazes and pointedly looked at Adrien and the other boy. Nino seemed entirely uninterested in this other boy, so Marinette figured he must be some friend of one of them outside school. _Maybe he's another model? Why would he be coming to school today though? Maybe he just works in the tower and is going to the same place?_

The boy typed something into the phone and showed the screen to Adrien. "Oh, right!" Adrien exclaimed, pushing off the wall of the elevator. The elevator lurched then, cutting of whatever Adrien was going to say as the doors opened. The dark-skinned boy grabbed Adrien's wrist and quickly typed something into the phone to show him. "Why? That's a terrible idea!" Adrien said. Marinette had already started out of the small space with Alya, though, so she could only hear him. "Ugh, fine. How would you explain being here to Madame Bustier then?"

 _Is he mute?_ Marinette thought while Adrien came up next to Nino, who was on the other side of Alya. "Ahh!" Adrien and Nino's sudden combined shriek made Marinette jump.

It only took her a moment to realize what caused it. "Arceus, Misdreavus!" She frowned, walking towards her pokémon. The other boy, however, who didn't even flinch when Misdreavus suddenly appeared right in front of their faces, smiled and reached up to the pokémon.

"Geez, Mari," Nino wheezed. "Why can Misdreavus never just stay in her pokéball?"

"Hey, I don't control it! She gets out on her own!" Marinette just shook her head, far too used to Misdreavus' antics to be anything but mildly amused as she called the pokémon back to her ball.

With Misdreavus returned, the third boy turned his attention to Adrien, once again putting an arm around Adrien's shoulders but also putting his other hand over Adrien's own, over his heart. "Yeah, I'm fine," Adrien muttered. Adrien shook it off and looked up at Marinette and Alya. He rapped gently on the other boy's chest with a knuckle. "By the way, this is Rocco. Sorry I forgot to introduce you earlier. I forgot that Nino is the only one of you all who've met him." Rocco beamed and waved at them.

"Nice to meet you, Rocco. I'm Alya. This is Marinette." Alya held a hand out, which Rocco took to shake. "How do you know Adrien?"

Rocco's grin turned sheepish and he looked to Adrien. "Ah, sorry," Adrien said. "He can't talk."

Alya stroked her chin. "That's why he took your phone? He was typing messages?"

"Yeah!"

Rocco actually just reached into Adrien's pocket (with no protest from Adrien, Marinette noticed) and pulled his phone out, unlocking it and typing a message in seconds. "We're best friends."

Nino looked at Rocco, utterly betrayed. "Oh, man, no. Not cool."

Rocco smirked, typing. "It's different than with Nino. They're still best friends too." He rolled his eyes and poked Nino playfully.

Alya raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. Marinette felt Alya grab her arm and drag her away. "Hey boys, I'm going to go find the restroom, alright? You go ahead and go to the class." She glanced at Rocco. "Or wherever you're supposed to be going."

Rocco giggled as Marinette was pulled away.

When Alya pushed open the door to the restroom, bringing Marinette in with her, she spun on her heel. "Mari, has Adrien ever seemed interested in anyone before?"

"Uh, no?" Without her crush standing right in front of her, Marinette quickly got distracted with other thoughts. She was probably less invested in the conversation than Alya was.

Alya slapped a hand to her forehead. "Crap, he's gay."

Marinette nearly choked. "W-what?!"

Alya shrugged. "Well, I'm not saying Rocco's his boyfriend, but I am saying that he's an attractive, likely model, friend who is very, very touchy and Adrien only looks happy about it." _What?_ "And he spends a lot of time with Juleka outside school. I mean, that doesn't mean he's gay, but if you've noticed, we like to congregate."

"Alya!"

"Just saying." She shrugged. "Us gays flock together."

Marinette just repeated her protest. "Alya!"

"Did you see Rocco literally shove his hand down Adrien's pants? Just saying."

"He was getting the phone."

"Yeah, the 'phone'." Alya winked, chuckling. Her smile dropped, and she hit her own palm with a fist. "Oh, I'm getting this scoop. I'll text Nino." As she pulled out her phone and started texting, Marinette placed a hand over her heart. _Is Adrien gay? Ugh, Arceus, does it even matter? Suddenly, boy troubles seem like the least of my problems. I'm honestly more concerned about Chat. At least I train for fighting, even if I'm not a true competitive battler. He trains for contests. And he can't mega evolve. It's so much more dangerous for him, which is saying something, considering I'm the standard. And I'm the one that never thinks ahead in battles. Pretty much ever._ "Hmm." Alya blinked at her phone. "Well, Nino says we're going to feel stupid, and that whether Adrien is gay is something we should be asking Adrien, not him. Which, I mean, yeah. That's fair. Don't know what he means though. Maybe Adrien isn't gay? That's why we'll feel stupid?"

"Maybe," Marinette muttered. _I wonder if Chat is gay. Does he have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend? Either. Does he have a significant other? If I can't protect him, who, besides me, is going to be hurt? Oh man, why did I agree to let him help? Why did I agree to do this in the first place?_

 _Well, if I didn't, Chat would probably still try to help. It's better that he's with me, since Mawile can mega evolve._

"Girl! Why are you not freaking out right now?" Alya shook her by her shoulders, drawing her out of her thoughts. "Man, you're seriously worried. I think I'm starting to see why Ralts is upset. Things will be fine, girl. Chat Noir is a good trainer, he'll be careful. And I'll calm down Ralts. There's nothing to freak out about, okay? Well, except for your crush being potentially gay."

Marinette shook her head. The thought of Adrien not being interested in girls at all worried her, but she wasn't really feeling up to her standard freaking out. It seemed pretty insignificant, really, in comparison. She was already tired, running on little sleep from trying to take care of Ralts all weekend. _I hope he's getting some sleep now while I'm out._ She was drained, emotionally, as well, both from worrying so much and from Ralts. She just didn't really have the energy to make too much of a deal about it.

"Oh, man, we should get to class. If we hurry, I can interrogate Adrien."

"You don't need to."

"Nah, girl, I'm curious now. Why would Adrien not ever mention some boy he's so close with? This is for me. Checking for you is just icing on the cake."

Marinette sighed. _Nothing would stop her anyway. I just hope Adrien doesn't mind._

The girls made their way to where class was taking place, a large corner of the floor, bordering one of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. Chairs were set up in rows, but Alya wasted no time in pulling her chair up next to Adrien's. Or rather, next to Rocco's, since the boy was sitting where Adrien normally would have while Adrien was in the back talking to Juleka. Marinette groaned and pulled her chair just a little closer, so she was close enough to be part of the conversation (and to see what Rocco writes), but not close enough that she was central to it. "So, you never told me how you met Adrien," Alya said, sidling up to Rocco.

He smiled and made some gestures with his hands, and then pointed to where Adrien was. _Sign language?_

Alya smiled apologetically. "Ah, right. Here, then." She took out her own phone and opened up the notes app, handing it to him. He perked up, beaming, seeming absolutely delighted. "Do you not have your own phone?"

He shook his head and started typing. "We met modeling," the phone read when he turned it to them, "and my phone broke." When Alya looked curiously at him, he added to the note. "Climbing wall mishap. Don't ever play 'the floor is lava' with Adrien."

"That only raises more questions, dude. But okay, that's not the point, I guess. Why hasn't Adrien ever mentioned you? You seem like a cool guy; he should have introduced us a long time ago."

Rocco giggled, typing with a smile. "Dad's fault. Agreste doesn't want everyone knowing about me."

Alya cast Marinette a glance. "Oh? Why is that?"

Rocco started typing, but looked up and frowned. He erased what was written and typed something else instead. "You okay?"

Marinette looked up to find he was staring straight at her. Marinette smiled. "Just a lot on my mind. I'm a little worried is all."

Rocco tapped the desk. "Want to talk about it?"

 _I can see why Adrien is friends with him._ "It's just current events," She said, waving him off. She considered for a moment and added, "And my ralts. He's been upset ever since the incidents last week."

Rocco's next words surprised her. "Because of you?"

She sighed. "Yeah."

Rocco looked at her for a moment before placing Alya's phone carefully on the desk and standing. He faced her and gave her a charming smile, holding out his arms.

Blinking dumbly, Marinette couldn't help but laugh. _This stranger is offering a hug. Because I can't get Ralts to calm down. Because of something that has absolutely nothing to do with him._ She stood as well and accepted his hug. He held her gently, but firm enough to convey to Marinette his wish for her to feel better. She hugged him a bit tighter and let him go. "Thanks," she said, still chuckling.

When he smiled bright and wide at her, she found herself smiling back, feeling a lot better. _Such a small gesture too. It's strange how something so small can affect people. Just a smile and a hug from a stranger. Not even any words. Somehow, it's even more reassuring than Alya trying to talk me through it._

"Hey guys!" Adrien's voice shocked her more than Misdreavus ever could. "You're all talking with Rocco?" Rocco bounced a little in his excitement and picked up Alya's phone again, showing it to Adrien. "Oh, Alya, you let him use your phone?" Adrien smiled at her. "Thank you. He likes when he can talk to people. That's why he made me teach him how to read and write." He poked Rocco, who crossed his arms, pouting.

"Wait, you taught him to read?" Alya looked at Adrien incredulously. "Exactly how do you two know each other?"

"Oh, right." Adrien clapped a hand over his mouth. "Uh. Well, he probably told you, we met modeling. Or, well, I was modeling. He was pretending to be a model. I still don't know how he managed to convince the photographer to actually put him in the pictures." Rocco just grinned giggled a little. "But imagine our surprise when it turns out he's actually a zoroark and just using his illusions."

Marinette sat back down in her seat, a little heavily, while Alya gasped. She turned on Rocco. "You're a pokémon?!" Rocco giggled and nodded. She glared at Nino, who had his headphones on and only just tilted his head at her. "So that's why." Alya sighed, shaking her head. "That explains so much."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Adrien frowned.

"First of all, that was rude. Making us think you had a secret boyfriend. Gosh, Agreste, how dare."

Adrien pulled back as his eyes widened. He glanced at Rocco. "Boyfriend?" He laughed, but it seemed strained. "Oh Arceus, not Rocco. No." Rocco giggled and moved to hug Adrien from the side, burying his head into Adrien's shoulder. Without really even looking, Adrien reached up to scratch the top of Rocco's head.

Alya just gestured to them. "This is why, Agreste. When he looks human, that looks like boyfriend stuff."

Adrien let his hand fall. "Oh." He frowned, and then looked at Rocco. "Is _that_ why Dad never wants us together in public?"

Marinette almost laughed at the look of pure exasperation on Alya's face. "How dense are you?!"


	13. Snow Warning

"Does it seem cold to you?" Adrien rubbed his arms, glancing at Rocco, who had insisted on coming with him to school again (disguised as a human) despite Adrien's assurances that he was fine.

Rocco frowned and looked out the window of the luxurious car. At his feet, Plagg stirred, bristling slightly and nudging Tikki. Adrien followed Rocco's gaze, watching the city pass by. _It's definitely cold. People are dressing warmer than usual. Huh. Oh man, is that snow? It's the middle of September! That's… odd._

Suddenly, Adrien felt apprehension bubble up inside him. In a split second, he knew what was happening. Not _exactly_ what, but he definitely had an idea. He bit his lip as he tore his eyes from the gentle snowfall to watch Plagg. The absol twitched, flicking his whiskers and nuzzling Tikki more urgently until she woke up properly. _He's agitated. Normally, something bad wouldn't bother him, but he never liked being cooped up. Or it's just that bad that even he's nervous._

While the reputation of absol bringing disaster was (to Adrien at least) obviously not true, that didn't mean that there wasn't a reason the species had that reputation. Plagg couldn't sense an accidental trip down the stairs, but he could definitely feel it if something like a freak blizzard was about to rip through Lumiose. _Maybe I'm just paranoid,_ Adrien thought, glancing nervously again at Plagg. _But that's not a good sign._

 _Okay, if the forecast doesn't call for cold, then Chat Noir is going to investigate._ Adrien shared a glance with Rocco before pulling out his phone and opening his weather app. The small screen confirmed his fears and made his stomach feel like it just dropped onto the street. _It shouldn't even be particularly cold today. And no snow, definitely. What could be causing this?_

 _And how do I get out of here to find out?_ Adrien frowned at his driver, just a short distance away.

Hands on his own, carefully extracting the phone, brought his attention back to Rocco, who glanced at the screen, then outside, and navigated through the phone to the notes app. "Chat Noir?" he wrote, with a questioning look.

Adrien nodded, glancing to the driver.

"Remember to roll."

Adrien felt his jaw hanging slack as he interpreted Rocco's message. _He wants to jump. Out of a moving car._ He glanced nervously out his window. _Into traffic. Presumably while he uses his illusions so that no one sees me. Probably not even the people driving at me after I jump._ Rocco rolled his eyes and pointed out the window on his side of the car. _Oh, onto the sidewalk. That makes more sense at least. As much as jumping out of a moving vehicle makes any sense. Which is none. We should… wait for a stoplight. Or something._

Mindful of the driver overhearing, Adrien took the phone and typed his idea.

"Be ready, though," Rocco responded. "In case we can't time it right."

Adrien took in a shaky breath and nodded, scooting closer to Rocco, who placed a hand on the door handle.

Unfortunately for all of them, the car pitched forward suddenly (making Adrien forever thankful that he didn't prematurely unbuckle his seatbelt). All the pokémon were thrown, and though it was violently, it was thankfully not too painful. Adrien figured they'd all only have a few bruises. _Including my shoulder, jeez._ He rubbed under where the seatbelt had dug into his shoulder, hissing slightly at the stinging, but, otherwise alright, he turned his attention to what caused the sudden stop. _Is that… snow?_ Outside the window, visibility was very quickly disappearing as the snow turned into a blizzard. Inside the vehicle, despite the heating, the temperature was dropping almost as quickly.

The driver was saying something, but Adrien just unbuckled his seatbelt and ushered his pokémon out the door, returning Tikki to be safe. _It's too cold for her, and it's not safe to fly anyway._ Judging how the driver continued talking to the empty seats as Adrien closed the door again, he assumed that Rocco managed to cover his escape, though given the blizzard he wasn't sure how necessary it was. _They'll find out I'm missing, inevitably. Losing the driver in this would be nothing._

Checking to make sure he had his bag, including his Chat Noir outfit and Mega Stone, Adrien hurried to the nearest alley. By the time he reached it, he was shivering and the rushing winds blowing around the snow bit into him and cut down visibility even further, to the point that the last several meters to find the alley were traversed near blind, with him relying only on his memory of where it was.

Between the tall buildings, there was a small respite. Or at least there was after he took cover behind a dumpster to block a little of the piercing wind. Hurrying as much out of a need to get his hoodie on as soon as possible as the need to get his disguise on, Adrien changed, slipping his outfit over his normal clothes, figuring he'd need the extra layers anyway. He hesitated for a moment, looking at the eye makeup. Deigning to keep his look intact, he hurriedly just smeared some of it on his eyelids, rubbing a little too hard. _Better sitting here doing my makeup than out there in an actual blizzard._ He sighed, tying on his mask after finishing spreading the makeup so that it was (he assumed) at least somewhat even. _Ladybug needs me. Lumiose needs me. A little cold isn't going to stop me._

Once again, Adrien tried to mega evolve Plagg, sacrificing a good minute or two to the vain attempt. Frustrated with his own failure, Adrien ended up putting the Mega and Key stones in his pockets before abandoning his bag and stepping out into the white.

He thanked the simple layout of Lumiose City, because with the wind howling in his ears and the snow obfuscating anything further than an arm's length ahead of him, it was really, really easy to lose his bearings. Really, he just trusted that the wind was blowing away from his destination, and made his way into it.

When the wind shifted, and started swirling wildly, in all directions, Adrien took that as a bad sign.

When he heard a pounding, unsteady thumping, even over the wind, Adrien took that as a _really_ bad sign.

Stumbling blind through the street, a spot of black in a world of white, Chat pressed on, feebly protecting his face with his arms. He already felt his nose and ears going numb with the cold and every once in a while he would need to lower his arms to breathe into his hands or rub his face. _Arceus, I need like, mittens. And a scarf. And earmuffs. And tea and a fire._

 _A fire! Why is my only fire pokémon still a baby? I can't bring her out in this. No way. I need another solution. And I need to find what's causing this._

Adrien found the wall of buildings, using them as a guide as he continued down the street. It was unbelievably frustrating, slowly freezing while not being able to see anything. _If only I could see where I was going, or even if I was going the right way. I need to find Ladybug. I'm sure she's here by now, somewhere. Right? She said she would._

He pursed his lips, hugging himself tighter. Despite her agreement, he did have some doubts. She didn't want to do it in the first place. The likelihood of her changing her mind and not showing up was tremendous. _Then, of course, there's the problem that even if she does show up, how am I supposed to find her?_

After what seemed like an hour to Adrien, cold and resolute, numbing but driven by the fire in his veins, disappointed but not discouraged quite yet, it was actually Ladybug who found him. "Chat! There you- Sweet Arceus, Chat? How long have you been in this blizzard?!"

He smiled, feeling her hands on him as she fussed. She got close enough that he could tell she had updated her outfit, like she said she would. _I should never have assumed she wouldn't keep her word. Clearly she's someone who always does what she says._ He almost laughed when he saw her mask, just like his only red, with some black spots for good measure. If the bitter cold didn't feel like it was crystallizing his lungs, he probably would have. She had a zip-up hoodie, ladybug print, naturally, and she had replaced her spotted scarf with a plain black one, pulled up over her mouth and nose like before, though he suspected that was because of the cold.

He didn't even have time to envy her before she pulled another black scarf out of her pocket and pushed his hood back to wrap it around his neck. "There, maybe that will help. I thought it'd be good for us to have these," she said, still fussing over him, fixing his hood back onto his head, "since you looked like you were having some problems with the dust from the heracross breaking up the street."

Adrien pulled the scarf into a more comfortable position, marveling at how soft it was. It wasn't the warmest thing, it probably wasn't supposed to be if it was for dust, but it was definitely an improvement, especially after he pulled it up to cover his nose and mouth like Ladybug. "Thank you, My Lady," he yelled over the wind.

Ladybug quirked an eyebrow. "Who said I was _your_ lady?"

Adrien froze for a second, only just realizing that he even said that. He chuckled easily, maybe a little nervously. _Flirting with a camera is a lot less terrifying. But it still apparently gives me bad habits._ "Wishful thinking?"

To his surprise (and pleasure), she laughed. "Keep on wishing, Kitty Cat." With a tap on the nose and a flourish, she turned, beckoning him to follow her. Her eyes hardened before she looked back at him, so he knew before she said anything that that had marked the end of the "playful banter" phase of their conversation.

Remembering his words to her when he last saw her, he took his chance before they moved on to business. "By the way, Ladybug, you have lovely eyes. I'm glad to see that you took my request into consideration."

"Yeah, right. I ditched the glasses because they block my vision, that's all."

"It's still a wonderful treat." He grinned when she rolled her eyes. He wished he could see whether her lips twitched up into a smile or down into a frown, but he decided to assume the best since she didn't seem any colder towards him when she started on about the pokémon.

"Anyway, we have a mission here, Chat, if you remember."

"It's hard to when I've seen nothing but snow for the past ten minutes."

"Do you have any pokémon that can help with this?"

"No. Only a vulpix, but she's still just a pup."

Ladybug growled. "I tried using Sunny Day, but the pokémon causing this blizzard is much stronger than Misdreavus. It did nothing."

 _Blizzard, blizzard… this one is just too massive, I can't think of any way to stop it. Arceus._ "Let's find whatever is causing this."

Ladybug shivered. "Seconded. Any ideas?"

"No. How did you find me?"

"Ralts sensed your emotions."

"Ralts?"

Ladybug fidgeted. "I returned him right away since it's so cold but… he's only a baby himself, really. Come here." She grabbed his arm, positioning him with his back to the wind. She stood next to him, helping him form as much of a wall as they could from the wind as she called out her ralts. "Hey buddy, I'll return you right away, but there should be an upset pokémon nearby and we really need to find it."

The tiny pokémon nodded, making a cute little face of determination before proudly pointing behind them, off to the side. "Thank you, warm up in your pokéball, okay?" Ladybug returned him promptly. Adrien understood why. He was adorable, but that ralts was clearly still a child. Much older than his vulpix, surely, maybe around his eevee's age. Still not old enough to be out in these kinds of conditions. _I shouldn't even be out in these kinds of conditions._ Ladybug shared a glance with him. "Let's go."

"Lead the way."

It took another few minutes to make it through. The snow was starting to pile up, slowing their feet, and the wind was a downright gale trying to force them back. Adrien could only keep his eyes on Ladybug. Even if it was only red, she was the only color he saw. Plagg and Rocco were behind him, so the only thing in his vision was her. Even though the snow tried to cut her out as well, she was still quite a sight. The way her brow furrowed and she squinted against the wind. How she huffed and sucked in all her complaints, keeping her focus solely on the destination, even when it wasn't in sight.

Adrien couldn't help but admire her. At first, back with Aggron, he had thought that she was amazing. Someone skilled and strong who had no fears or doubts and always had a plan. _Well, I was partially right._ He smiled. When he met her during the fight with the heracross, he became just a tiny bit disillusioned with her. She didn't want to be a hero, she wasn't fearless at all ( _Just as brave though, maybe more, than I thought._ ), she wasn't always in control, in fact, she was just as new to it as he was. _But she's still amazing. She's determined, and I know nothing will get in her way._

"Chat!" Her voice snapped Adrien out of his reverie. He squinted through the snow to try to catch sight of whatever she saw.

They waited in silence for a few moments. _There!_ Adrien saw a faint flash of green. He looked at Ladybug, taking in her crystal blue eyes for a moment, being reminded of and missing the sky. "Green?"

"Green." Ladybug nodded, taking off faster in that direction. "Be careful. We need to figure out what it is, and come up with a plan."

"Of course."

Adrien made sure he was right next to her as they approached. If he were perfectly honest, he was probably closer than he really needed to be, but he was worried and she didn't say anything.

They had their progress interrupted by a glowing green… something coming down right in front of them. Adrien jumped back in surprise. In the next second, he was able to identify the most recent victim. _Abomasnow. Mega evolved already, too. So it looks like the pokémon going crazy are ones capable of mega evolution?_

Next to him, Ladybug let out Mawile, calling for her mega evolution in the next breath. Unfortunately, the moment Mawile did mega evolve, the abomasnow's erratic behavior only grew worse. It started thrashing about more violently, slamming the ground with its arms. _Wood Hammer._ Adrien realized, belatedly, what the green glow was. It was when the abomasnow started hurling energy balls everywhere that he had to spring into action though.

Seeing the flying balls of energy, Adrien's mind immediately shifted to performance mode. _Energy Ball, Energy Ball…_ He felt Ladybug push him down, narrowly avoiding another attack. _I've never tried it before with Energy Ball but most long-distance energy moves with structure like that can be "popped", for lack of a better word, if I can find the right type combination._

"Absol!" he yelled. "X-Scissor!" When Plagg jumped to obey, slicing the Energy Ball approaching Adrien and Ladybug, still trying to get up from when she pushed him, the Energy ball simply split in half, snapping into two separate balls that hit the ground on either side of them. _Or… that could happen._

"Chat!"

"Just testing, My Lady!"

"Ugh! Mawile!"

While Mawile fought close with the abomasnow, Adrien called for Plagg and Rocco to use Dark Pulse, cutting swaths through the flying Energy Balls with an old favorite. Dirty, gritty, explosions. _Not much appeal, but it works._ _Luckily it's just small bits of energy. Plagg and Rocco are strong enough to destabilize the attack._

He dove to the side, mumbling. "Destablilize… Because of the bug type? It managed to slice cleanly, separating the ball instead of making it react. Maybe another type would trigger an actual reaction rather than just throwing off th-"

"Chat Noir!"

Adrien felt his face flush. He was still paying attention, of course, but he did allow himself to get a bit sidetracked. _Think about performances later. Or actually… Maybe Ice Beam would work?_ "My Lady! Have Mawile use Ice Beam!"

Ladybug gave him a hard glare. "In this?"

"Trust me! And she needs to get out of there right when it hits the Energy Ball!"

He wasn't sure if it was trust or a realization of what he was trying to do, but her gaze softened and she nodded. "Mawile!"

The pokémon jumped back with grace, firing an ice beam right at the forming Energy Ball in front of abomasnow.

The attacks collided and reacted.


	14. Hypothermia

When Mawile hit the abomasnow's half-formed Energy Ball with an Ice Beam, the resulting explosion was enough to stun even the mega evolved abomasnow they were fighting.

Marinette had no idea what just happened.

There was a split second where the Ice Beam seemed to crystallize the abomasnow's attack, but the next second, whatever structures formed had snapped, and the entire thing blew up with amazing force. Right in the abomasnow's face.

Marinette's jaw dropped. _How did he know that would work?! Using ice against an abomasnow in the middle of a blizzard?!_ Why _did that work?_

Luckily, Mawile didn't freeze like she did, and managed to follow up, taking advantage of the fact that the abomasnow was stunned. "We have to find the thingy!" Chat yelled.

 _The thingy. We really need to figure out what to call those devices._ Marinette shook her head. _Chat's a performer. Moves and move interactions is his thing. To make it pretty. If nothing else… well, I'll just trust him when he says to do things like that from here on._

 _How are we supposed to find a tiny device on an abomasnow though?_

Marinette frowned, trying to find anywhere where the device could be. But the abomasnow was covered in shaggy fur that would hide any small thing on it.

It roared, hitting Mawile squarely with a Wood Hammer. Mawile flew into the snow off to the side. Marinette ran to her, depending on Chat Noir to cover for her. Which he did.

"Alright, Frosty, I'm your opponent now!" He yelled cockily, jumping out to draw its attention from Marinette. She saw his absol and zoroark working in tandem, covering him as he leapt and rolled and practically danced out of the way of the abomasnow's attacks. If he couldn't dodge, one of his pokémon would attack to either redirect or stop the incoming threat. It was almost like a performance in itself.

Dropping to her knees, Marinette brushed the snow off of Mawile, helping her to her feet. "Are you okay?"

With a solemn nod, Mawile stood.

"Let's help him out." _I can't believe he's putting himself in danger. Not just being here, but actively making himself the target. Arceus, the stupid cat!_ "Hey!" She yelled to get the abomasnow's attention. Quite frankly, she was surprised it heard her over the rushing wind and Chat Noir's own taunts. "It's not over yet!"

Mawile leapt, clamping her jaws down hard on the abomasnow's shoulder.

Chat's pokémon kept its arms busy and away from Mawile, so it couldn't grab her, by nipping and attacking at them, especially irritatingly when it did try to reach up. The abomasnow stomped angrily and swiped at Chat's pokémon, but Absol and Zoroark were agile and quick, able to dance out of the way just in time. But there was only so long they could keep it up. It wasn't long before the abomasnow got a hold of Zoroark, lifting him up, and with his other arm the abomasnow managed to pluck Mawile from its shoulder. With a definitive movement, it slammed the two pokémon into each other. Marinette winced, knowing that it had to be painful, especially for Zoroark since Mawile had a sturdy body. She was a steel type, after all.

Chat looked absolutely horrified. He let out a strangled gasp and rushed forward to check on Zoroark. Marinette was right on his heels. While she didn't doubt Mawile would stand up from the blow (something she wasn't as confident about for Zoroark), she still wanted to be near her pokémon.

Unfortunately, the abomasnow had other ideas. When it separated its hands, it didn't let the two pokémon fall, instead, it reared back and threw them with all it's might across the street.

Where, Marinette only realized as Mawile was sailing over her head, there weren't any buildings.

No, they were on the riverbank.

She booked it to the river wall, already calling out Ariados, aiming the pokéball at the wall so Ariados had that little bit of extra time when he came out of the pokéball. He shot out his webs before Marinette was even close.

When she reached the wall, leaning over to get a look at Mawile and Zoroark both hanging from Ariados' web, she let out a sigh of relief. Mawile was beginning to climb back up, but seeing Zoroark hanging limp made Marinette's stomach turn. She could only imagine what Chat felt.

And his face when Marinette looked over at him, leaning over the wall just like her, gave her an idea. It wasn't good.

She didn't have time to ruminate on it though, because in the next moment, something had slammed into her, pitching her straight over the wall, clearing the concrete riverbank and sending her down towards the river beyond. _Arceus._ Thinking fast, she twisted to look up, seeing the web from Ariados already speeding towards her, as well as Chat Noir flailing through the air. Despite already struggling with weight, and no doubt even more when Marinette was caught, Ariados sent another web to Chat, but the response was delayed. Neither Ariados nor Chat were expecting it, Ariados was already focused on Marinette when Chat went over, whatever the reasons, Marinette caught the web and swung towards the river wall while Chat plunged straight into the water, the fourth web not half a meter short.

Ariados made some strained noises, but thankfully managed to pull Chat Noir out quickly. The web made contact with him right when he hit the water (rather painfully, it looked like), since the water slowed him, but it couldn't save him from taking a swim.

 _In this weather… I don't know if the river is freezing or not, but he definitely needs to warm up. Now._ Marinette looked back up at Ariados, who was slowly crawling backwards, and the abomasnow, looming over them. "Watch out!" Marinette called.

But it was too late. When Ariados looked behind him, the abomasnow had already sent down an Avalanche.

The next several moments were a blur for Marinette. She was only vaguely conscious of what she was doing, for the most part, when she curled up, knowing but not looking at the concrete riverbank directly below them.

Ralts came out of his pokéball, leaving Marinette scrambling in the air to try and grab him, which she only just managed to succeed in doing before she hit the ground… surprisingly gently.

It was still going to leave a bruise, but it left Marinette totally capable of leaping to Chat's side and screwing her eyes shut half a second before the Avalanche covered them.

When nothing crushed her but the crisp cold air, silence, and an overwhelming sense of panic and dread, she cautiously opened her eyes. She couldn't see anything, but she had no doubt that Ralts' Protect made a small dome for them. _I am so giving that baby anything he wants. Right after I finish killing him._ "Ralts!" she hissed, her voice shaking, "that was w-"

Ralts cried out, interrupting her, and reminding her about Chat Noir. _Oh Arceus, Chat._ Forgetting about Ralts for the moment, Marinette carefully moved Chat so she could take off his soaked scarf, fumbling to remove his bell choker with it as well. He was already absolutely freezing, and just handling the scarf, Marinette felt the freezing cold water on her hands. She shook while Chat shivered, and she had no idea if he was even awake or not, since it was pitch black. "Chat?" she asked. Her tremulous voice was the only sound in their little space except some clicking of chattering teeth. She wasn't sure if it was hers or his. "Ralts, Heal Pulse! Please!"

Ralts nodded grimly and his horn glowed softly. A gentle wave came off of it. Ralts was still young and not very powerful, but hopefully it would be enough. Marinette, for her part, felt the pain in her back, from where the abomasnow hit her, lessen significantly.

"L-Lady?"

"Chat!"

" _Arceus_ , I-I'm c-cold."

"You said you have a vulpix, right?"

"Y-yeah. Just a s-sec."

When the flash of light lit up their prison, Marinette had a split second to realize that none of the other pokémon were with them. _I just have to trust they're okay. Ariados knows Protect too. Maybe he managed to do what Ralts did._ Shaking, Marinette shook her head, fighting off tears. _No. I have to believe they're okay. I_ do _believe they're okay. I need to focus on Chat._

"V-vulpix," Chat said. "C-can you warm us up at all?"

After a soft yip, a few feeble, floating flames appeared. Four of them, each moving to one of the inhabitants of their dome. Marinette immediately moved closer to the Will-O-Wisp, feeling its warmth with her hands, and basking in it.

Chat was still shivering something fierce, though.

"Chat, you have to take off your clothes," Marinette said resolutely, going to his side, her little flame following her. In the ominous light, Chat looked absolutely miserable, and Marinette was terrified to think that maybe it wasn't just the lighting making him look like that.

He still had the decency to blush and gasp, "What?!"

"We don't have any dry clothes, but those are only making you colder. At least take off your shirt until we figure out how to get out of here."

He bit his lip and nodded, unable to meet her eyes. Marinette thought nothing of it until he actually did take off his shirt and hoodie in one pull. He was shivering, and he cupped the little purple flame and pulled it close to him, sighing.

Marinette took hold of his wrist, trying her best not to focus on his bare torso. "Arceus, Chat, not so close, you're going to burn yourself!"

"H-honestly, My Lady, at t-this point, it'd be welcome."

Marinette peeled off her own jacket and offered it to him. It would be small, but at least it was something. And she at least had a dry, long-sleeved shirt. It was significantly colder without her own hoodie, but despite his protests, she made him put it on. There was no hope of him being able to actually zip it up, but he pulled it around him as he hugged himself and looked at Marinette with big, scared, thankful eyes that made her know for absolute sure she made the right call. "You need to go to a hospital."

His eyes widened. "But I can't! No one knows that I'm Chat, and my dad-"

"Are you sixteen yet?"

He swallowed hard. It was clear that he knew what she as implying. Sixteen year-olds were allowed to go on journeys around the region on their own. As such, most places set that as the same age that kids were considered legal adults, since they'd be largely unsupervised anyway. And if they were responsible enough to go on a pokémon journey, they were responsible enough to sign legal documents. "Yeah."

"Then your dad doesn't matter. We'll get you there, you tell them that you don't want to inform your family. If there's anyone who does know, I can find them and let them know so they can visit you."

"You don't understand. My dad would definitely find me."

"Then we need a story. Either way, you're going to the hospital."

Chat tightened his jaw. "So are you," he said.

Marinette saw the look in his eye. It was the kind of look that told her she had to either concede or lose the argument completely. "Fine."

He shifted, shivering. Marinette held herself as well, trying to warm her arms. "So how are we getting out of here?" Chat asked.

Marinette took a shaky breath, turning to examine their situation. _We need to get Chat out and we need to finish this as soon as possible. So that we can get Chat to the hospital. And Zoroark. I know Chat won't leave until the abomasnow is helped, so that's the priority. That and keeping Chat out of the activity as much as possible. That means our best hope is…_ Marinette glanced nervously at Ralts.

 _Maybe Vulpix can help?_ She crawled over to pet the little pokémon. _He wasn't lying when he said she was a baby. Her second tail hasn't even totally split yet!_ Marinette smiled down at Vulpix running a hand down her back and examining the pale rusty color of her fur. _And she still hasn't even turned completely red yet. No wonder he didn't want to bring her out. Well, we'll put her back in the ball before we get out. Speaking of… there's no other choice, is there?_

Marinette pulled a pokéball off her belt, hoping that, for once, her Misdreavus was still inside it. When the ball reacted after she pressed the button, she let out a sigh of relief. "Misdreavus, Ralts is going to teleport us out of here, okay? Be ready."

Chat Noir raised his eyebrows at her, so she explained as the ghost phased through the snow above them. "Ralts is still a baby too," she said, picking him up. "He hasn't mastered teleporting yet. I'm sending Misdreavus out first because the only reference Ralts has is 'up', so there's a pretty good chance we'll appear somewhere in the air above the street. Or river. Especially carrying two people with him, it's not the safest option, but it's the only one we have."

Chat gulped. "What about Zoroark? And, oh Arceus, is Absol still up there? Is he fighting alone? My Lady, we need to get out of here!"

"Calm down! Chat!" Marinette shifted Ralts, who was beginning to get agitated as well, into one arm, and put her free hand on Chat's shoulder. "They'll be fine. We'll get out of here, we'll get them out, and we'll all get medical help, alright? Just calm down! Keep your head on straight. Like when you were fighting! Yeah?"

Chat shivered and nodded, starting to mumble. It was something about psychic powers and how they affected dark types, but Marinette didn't pay attention. Instead, she focused on Ralts. "You okay, baby? You strong enough to do this?"

Ralts nodded, pumping his little fists cutely. He bit his lip, concentrating. "Chat," Marinette said, "return Vulpix."

Chat looked at her with wide eyes and did as she said. A moment later, the little lights warming them disappeared.

Marinette groped in the dark for his hand, grabbing his arm and then sliding her hand down to slip her fingers through his. "My Lady?" He asked, his voice shaking as much as hers was.

"Shh, just be ready. The abomasnow is still up there."

The next moment, Marinette was blinded by sunlight. She and Chat Noir both let out little hisses of protest. Before she could even open her eyes again, she knew that Misdreavus was carrying her with her Psychic. There wasn't any solid ground under her, and the only wind was going sideways and all over the place, so she wasn't falling. She squeezed Chat's hand, feeling the warmth of his palm against the chill of the wind ripping through her shirt.

Finally, when she heard a roar below her, she opened her eyes slowly. Absol and Mawile were teaming up against the abomasnow, who seemed tired and frustrated. Zoroark, however, was laying some distance away, unconscious by the looks of it. Ariados was right there with him.

Mawile and Absol both looked beaten and battered, but then so did the abomasnow. All three of them were fighting… savagely. Mawile gave no mercy, biting and twisting and ripping out chunks of the abomasnow's fur. Absol wasn't much better. And of course the abomasnow was out of control. The entire scene was a little terrifying. _But I can't afford to let fear hold me back._

She returned Ralts to his pokéball and looked at Misdreavus, silently telling her to set them down. Instead of doing that, though, Misdreavus flew them over the abomasnow, flying just a little too close herself to gesture emphatically at something around halfway down one of the protrusions on the abomasnow's back. _Did Misdreavus find the thingy?! Then we can do this!_ Marinette grinned, seeing a small silver device come floating out around Misdreavus.

Until the abomasnow caught Misdreavus with a Wood Hammer. Marinette yelped as she was dropped unceremoniously into the snow, but collected her wits quickly, ducking around the abomasnow to where she thought the device was sure to have fallen.

"Distract it!" Chat's voice, noticeably weak, called, so Marinette dove to the side, avoiding the abomasnow's attack, and joined Mawile and Absol between the abomasnow and the river. With its attention on her, Marinette watched as Chat snuck around behind it to roughly the spot that the device fell.

"Absol, Mawile!" Absol leapt to deliver a Night Slash, distracting the abomasnow so that Mawile could deliver a devastating Sucker Punch. That was enough to ground the abomasnow for at least a few moments. _It did stun Aggron, after all._ And Chat used that time wisely.

In one moment, while the abomasnow was down, Chat called out Vulpix and asked her to Flamethrower the ground in the entire area where the device could have been.

A few seconds later, Chat dived in, snatched something up from the ground, and tossed it to Mawile, who caught it in her jaws and crushed it.


	15. Frostbite

Adrien had too many things going through his mind.

The cathartic feeling of victory as the abomasnow, as well as the blizzard, calmed down was only a tiny fraction of everything he was feeling. He was scared, still, from the fight, and terrified because he knew that he was probably just slowly dying from hypothermia as he collapsed onto the snow-covered asphalt in his soaked pants and ladybug-print jacket two sizes too small for him. He felt miniscule relief when someone ran up to him, covering him with a thick, dry blanket, and he only vaguely recognized the police and paramedics finally penetrating the quickly dissipating blizzard.

But none of that mattered to him, not really. He only payed those things any attention because he was still alert, waiting for the abomasnow to show any signs of acting out again. Luckily, the large pokémon collapsed just as he did, and seemed to be unconscious.

Ladybug was shrugging off all the help offered to her by the incoming medical personnel. They tried talking to her, but she just stalked past them. She knelt down in front of Adrien, taking his face in her hands and pulling his head so he had to strain to keep looking at the one thing he actually did care about at that moment. "Chat," she said.

 _Rocco._ Adrien tried to get up, to go to his pokémon's, his friend's, side, but several pairs of hands pinned him down.

"Sir, you shouldn't try to move too much. Wait for an ambulance to come."

Adrien bit his lip and tried once more. That time, it was Ladybug's strong hold keeping him on his butt. "Chat, sit still. Let them take care of you."

"I can't." He could hardly hear his own voice. He didn't try to get up again, only because it was still freezing and he wasn't sure he had the strength and the blanket around him was the only small semblance of warmth he had access to. "He's…"

"Shh, Chat." Ladybug's own body warmed the side of his face when she hugged him, pulling him close to her. He felt her chin on his head, but only dully. "Look. People are taking care of him. Let them take care of him, Chat. And let them take care of you."

Adrien did look. He watched as ambulances pulled up, right with the last of the snowdrift, and he watched as a pair of men tended to Rocco. When they put Rocco on a stretcher and started trying to get him into an ambulance is when Adrien snapped out of it and tried to stand again. Once again he was held down, not that his legs were strong enough to carry him anywhere at that moment, so, panicking, he tore his eyes away to look at Ladybug.

"Go with him," he said. He followed her gaze back to the pokémon, seeing Ariados starting to stand on his own. "Go! I'll let them take care of me, just don't leave him alone! Please."

"I should be with you."

"I can't leave him alone. Please. You're the only one I trust to look after him." She still looked conflicted, so Adrien pulled three pokéballs out of his pocket and thrust them into her hands. She just gaped at him, holding the balls. "Zoroark, Absol, and Vulpix." Adrien said. "Go with him to the Pokémon Center. Please. Visit me after they tell you if he'll be okay."

"Chat, I need to be with _you_. I can't leave you alone!" She looked at the people around them and lowered her voice. "You said you can't tell your family. Someone needs to be there with you."

Adrien growled in frustration. _If she doesn't go soon she'll miss the chance!_ "Juleka!" He exclaimed. "That girl with me last time! We're friends, I'll call her, I swear. Please, just go with him."

Ladybug was still clearly fraught with indecision. Finally, she just nodded. "How will I find you?"

 _I don't care, Arceus, we'll figure it out later!_ "I'll send you a message. Don't worry. The moment I get to the hospital; I'll find a way to message you. Just wait in the Pokémon Center until I do."

"Okay." Hesitating only one moment more, Ladybug turned and sprinted to the ambulance destined for the closest Pokemon Center, climbing in next to Rocco and staring back at Chat with her brow furrowed and a frown on her lips.

The next few minutes were a blur of obediently doing as he was asked, climbing into another ambulance destined for a nearby hospital, made for humans, as he absently worried over Rocco. _At least Ladybug is with him. I know she won't leave him alone. Arceus, I couldn't stand the thought of him… He's always been sociable. He needs someone with him. Much more than I do, anyway._

He sighed. _Thank you, Ladybug._

"Chat Noir," a man said, holding a clipboard and pressing a pen to it. "I'm sorry, but we need your identification. And emergency contact information."

Adrien shook his head. "No."

"But-"

"It doesn't matter. I'll tell you who to call. Who I am doesn't matter." _Even if they didn't immediately call my dad, there's no way it wouldn't get out. I'm too well known, both as Chat and Adrien. It would be disastrous. I can't let anyone know. At all. Not now that I'm getting hurt because of it. I'd only worry them, or they'd stop me._

 _Though… is being stopped that terrible? Maybe I should be. Rocco got… Because I insisted on us doing this, Rocco is hurt and I have no idea if he's even okay right now. The heracross was clearly just luck. All of us are hurt. Me, Ladybug, Rocco, Plagg, Mawile… we can't do this. Maybe we're not as strong as we thought we were._

Adrien gritted his teeth and shook his head. _Maybe Chat should just go back to being a dumb performer. I can focus on my performance next month. I should be fine soon, I only need to warm up, and maybe stay a while until they're satisfied that I'm not going to die. I can get back to work with plenty of time to make my performance. No heroics, just pretty moves and dancing that makes people smile._

 _Arceus, what am I going to do? Dad is looking for me, surely. I can't tell them who I am because he'll show up and I'll never hear the end of it. There would be more to deal with than just stupidity going to fight these pokémon. There's the entire performance thing to consider. Dad would pull the plug on all of it._ Adrien pulled his feet onto his seat and hugged his knees. _I need an excuse, and I need to convince these guys not to call family._

 _Or… I guess I could just lie. If they don't know who I am, I doubt they're going to look too deep into it. No, that's not a good idea. I should be able to get away with a friend contact. Kids travelling usually only have friends to contact anyway, so it's not unusual. The people here have no reason to believe I even live in Lumiose, so they can't argue. And if they do, I can lie about that._

"Sir?"

"Juleka. Call her. No one else. Please."

The man frowned and sighed. "Number?" Adrien told him, and sat quietly as he phoned Juleka. "Yes, is this Juleka?" the man asked. "Mr. Chat Noir asked us to call you as his emergency contact." The man told Juleka a bunch of other things, but all Adrien really heard was "hypothermia", "Central Lumiose General Hospital", and "real name".

 _I hope Rocco's going to be okay._ He felt cold, from more than just his dip in the river and his time in the blizzard. He felt like all warmth in his heart was whisked away by the gale, or slammed and crushed by a savage abomasnow. The air was still chilly, but the blanket over his shoulders warmed him only as much as the sun warmed his skin when he stood on the beach. It was superficial. Inside, he was still succumbing to the cold. _I just need him to be okay._ He curled up tighter, burying his head into his knees. _Arceus, I need to be with him right now._

"Sir?" Adrien lifted his head just enough to look at the man. "Your friend said that she will be at the hospital as soon as she can. We should be getting there soon." Adrien zoned out, listening but not absorbing any of the information the man gave him as he talked. "Luckily, you weren't out there too long. You should be okay, but we'll need the doctors at the hospital to check on you just to be safe. With luck, you can go back home right after that."

The man kept talking, trying to distract Adrien, he figured, until they pulled up at the hospital. Juleka was already there in the lobby. "Chat!" She rushed over to him, being stopped by the men around him until he told them it was okay. "Chat, are you okay? What happened?"

"I took a bath in a snowstorm." Juleka gave him a hard stare and took his arm, following as he was ushered to a room down a long hallway. He sighed. "It was an abomasnow this time. Fought through a blizzard."

He saw her eyes lower as she looked him over. "In that?"

"This is what I ended up in, at least. Ladybug."

"Yeah, I got that much. What happened?"

"It doesn't matter. I took a dip in the river, the abomasnow is back to normal."

"Where's Ladybug? Shouldn't she be here too?"

"I told her to go with Rocco."

"With Rocco." Juleka's eyes widened. "Did he get hurt?!" Adrien bit his lip and nodded, closing his eyes to try and fight back tears. He didn't want to think about it, but there was little else he could focus on.

"I knew, because I fell in the river, that I'd have to come here." They were ushered into a room and left for the moment. "I know Ladybug should really have come too but… she wasn't hurt like I was and _someone_ had to be with him. And she was the only one I trusted with their pokéballs." He sank down into a chair and buried his head in his hands. "I just hope he's okay."

"Chat, Adrien, hey," Juleka said gently, sitting in a chair next to him and leaning over to hug him. "He'll be fine. He's a tough one, remember? If I remember right, he wasn't always so pampered before you started taking care of him."

"He deserves to be pampered. He shouldn't have to even be in a situation where he could get hurt. And _I_ put him in that position." Adrien laughed bitterly. "Arceus, I'm a terrible excuse for a trainer. I even put Kivva in danger." He scrubbed furiously at his eyes, trying to dry tears before they had a chance to fall. "I can't mega evolve Plagg, Rocco's hurt, I shouldn't even be _carrying_ Kivva with me, I… what right do I have to go out there pretending to be a hero?"

Juleka didn't hesitate to rub his back gently. "How are Plagg and Kivva?"

"Plagg is…" Adrien shook his head. "I don't know. No worse for wear than a battling pokémon on an average day I think. Kivva should be fine, I just- I should know better! I _do_ know better! Kivva's still too young. It was too cold; I know she can't maintain her fire well in those conditions. She shouldn't have come out at all, but I called on her anyway. Twice! Once while the abomasnow was just meters away!"

"You did what was necessary."

"What was necessary put my pokémon in danger."

"That's the way it is, sometimes. What's necessary put _you_ in danger too. I know your pokémon as well as I know you, Adrien. They're as behind this as you are."

He looked into her eyes, reaching desperately for confirmation that she actually believed what she was saying. "Then why are we failing so badly at this?"

Juleka closed her eyes. "I don't know what condition Rocco's in, but you're here because of a few bruises and the cold. And with just that, you took down a savage abomasnow. I don't think I'd call that a failure."

"If anything hurts Rocco, then I've failed as a trainer."

"You can't really believe that. You can't protect them from everything."

"I can try."

Juleka was quiet as she thought. Adrien recognized the way her brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed just slightly as she stared at him. The doctor came in before she had the chance to say anything else.

They went through the pleasantries and the doctor gave him a short examination. Adrien let out his held breath when the doctor informed him that he'd be perfectly fine, and was told that he could leave so long as he remembered to stay warm and to take it easy for the next few days. "No heroics" was the doctor's exact words, tacked on as they left the room. _Heroics,_ Adrien thought bitterly. _Some hero._

"Why are you doing this?" Juleka's voice distracted him just enough to snap him out of his line of thought. She frowned, taking his hand. "I thought I knew, but now I'm not sure I understand. Why do you fight these pokémon in the first place?"

Adrien sniffed, looking away, and tried to remember why. It wasn't all that long ago, only a weekend, really, but Adrien still had trouble recalling. Everything else just seemed so much more important than _why_. He thought about the heracross, what had attracted him there in the first place and the reason he jumped out despite not being able to trigger mega evolution. _That's right, there was a boy. And that brave little fletchinder._ "Someone else was trying to fight it. The heracross," he mumbled. "A little kid. Maybe thirteen. I'd be surprised if he was old enough to start travelling even. I fought that first time so he could get away."

"If that's all, why didn't you give up when the cops arrived? Or when Ladybug did?"

Adrien tightened his hold on her hand. "The heracross was hurting too. It didn't look like they noticed and I didn't want it to be hurt any more than it had to."

Juleka touched his cheek. Adrien quickly replaced her hand with his to try and wipe away the tears he just realized were there. "But it was stupid. I'm just not strong enough to help anyone. All I do is get myself and my pokémon hurt. I should have just given up then."

"You want to protect people."

"I don't deserve to be a hero." Adrien hugged her and buried his head in her shoulder, feeling like the cold inside him still hadn't even begun to thaw. "I think I understand what Ladybug was talking about now. I don't even want to be a hero. I can't be one. If I try, I'll only hurt everyone."

"You _are_ a hero, though. Rocco got hurt. You got hurt. But that was something that both of you knew might happen. This is the second pokémon you've saved. The people in Lumiose already see you as one of their protectors. You're already a hero to them. Didn't you tell Ladybug that? It's the same for you."

He let himself cry. It was selfish, it was rude, but he didn't care. He didn't want to fight again. He didn't want to see attacks aimed at him. He didn't want to walk up and not know if he was going to walk away. He didn't want to put his pokémon, so unfairly, through that same thing.

"And what would Ladybug do without you?"

"Everything. Better, probably."

"I don't believe that. I think she'd miss you."

Adrien trembled against her. "You… _want_ me to keep fighting?"

Juleka pulled his face away from her shoulder so she could look in his eyes. "No. Of course I don't. But Adrien, I _trust_ you to keep fighting. There have been three attacks now; more are surely on the way. I know what you and your pokémon are capable of, and I've seen how you work with Ladybug, even if you're new to this. I know you'll figure out mega evolution and I'm absolutely positive that you can keep helping everyone. Aren't you?"

"Not at all. I feel useless." He shook his head. "I can't do anything."

"The rest of Lumiose city believes you can. Someone gave you a Mega Stone – they believe in you."

"A Mega Stone that I can't use. I don't know why I'd be chosen to get one. Whoever chose me was obviously wrong, because I just- I can't. No matter how much I try." He ran a hand down his face. "Arceus. Ladybug. I need to talk to her. I need to find out how Rocco's doing."

"How?"

"Tikki." Adrien brought Tikki out of her pokéball and told her to fly to the Centrico Plaza Pokémon Center, the closest one, with a note letting Ladybug know that he was given the okay and was on his way.


	16. A Simple Interview

"Uh, Ladybug?" Marinette snapped out of her thoughts to look back at Alya. The girl had followed her to the Pokemon Center, and thankfully waited until Zoroark had been taken into intensive care and all the rest of the pokémon were handed over at the counter to be checked on. After, though, as Marinette found a place to sit, to wait because she couldn't disappear without her pokémon or news for Chat Noir, Alya slid into the booth opposite her at the table she chose.

Marinette looked at Alya, who hesitated, an unexpected reaction. _I wonder what it is that made her hesitate. Probably Zoroark._ "Ladybug, I'm sorry to bother you. My name is Alya Césaire. I'm starting a blog dedicated to you. For defending our city. I was wondering if I could talk to you about what you've been doing."

Marinette glanced at the doors to the back of the Center. _It's a distraction. And it'll help Alya's blog._ "Chat Noir has been doing just as much. Probably more, really."

Alya gave her a sympathetic look. "That zoroark is his, right? Why isn't he here?"

"He fell into the river during the fight. I made him go to the hospital himself. I'm here in his place until he gets checked out." Marinette shivered, and she was almost sure Alya did too.

"Would you allow me to interview you?" Alya asked suddenly. "I'll take a video, which would be posted on my blog."

Marinette bit her lip. "Okay." _I've got nothing better to do anyway. It's just… waiting. For Zoroark or for Chat, whichever comes first._

Alya quickly called out her aipom, handing him a camera which he used to record them. They both waited, watching as Aipom scurried to try to find a good angle. After a moment, Aipom huffed and gestured them closer together. Alya smiled, "Would you mind if I sat next to you? My cameraman doesn't seem very happy with the shot."

"Not at all." Marinette scooted a bit closer to the wall, allowing Alya some space when she got up and slid into her side of the table. Aipom sat on the back of the opposing bench and gave them the go-ahead.

"Alright," Alya said. "So, Ladybug, first of all, what is your name, or what would you like us to call you?"

"Ladybug is fine. Fits with Chat, right?"

Alya chuckled a little. "Ladybug it is then. So I got quite a bit of good footage from your last two fights. But because of the blizzard I couldn't film this last one. Could you describe what happened?"

Marinette gulped down the lump in her throat and closed her eyes. _Can I, even?_ "I'm not exactly a storyteller."

"That's fine, just tell us what you can. How did you get into the blizzard in the first place? The police were still trying to figure out a safe approach when you took down that abomasnow."

Marinette shook her head. "I just got there early. I noticed it getting cold and I was nearby before it even started snowing. I found Chat Noir a few minutes later after my Ralts sensed him. Found the abomasnow the same way." She shrugged.

"And what happened after you found it? How did the fight go?"

"Chat and his pokémon did most of the work. He's really clever and his pokémon have always been the real advantage in these fights so far. We, well, we fought for a while. Mawile put up a good fight and Zoroark and Absol were excellent allies. Not to mention Chat really knew what he was doing. Things stopped working so well when…" She looked again at the doors, still firmly shut.

"Zoroark," Alya said.

"Yeah." Marinette took a deep breath. "We were trying to wear it down, but it got a hold of Mawile and Zoroark. Then…" Marinette clapped her hands together violently, locking her fingers.

Alya winced. "So that's what happened."

"And then the abomasnow threw them. I saw that they would have fallen in the river and, well, I didn't know how cold the water would be. It had only been ten or so minutes since the snow started. Max. But still. And either way, once they got out it'd be freezing. So I had my Ariados catch them with his webs."

"Quick thinking."

Marinette nodded. "But Chat and I were blindsided and thrown over as well. Ariados was able to catch me in time, but Chat…"

"Fell into the water?"

"Yeah. We got him out, but then the abomasnow dropped an Avalanche on us. Ralts protected us, but we were trapped under the snow. I don't know what Mawile, Zoroark, and Ariados did. If they were trapped, they got out before we did." She shook her head. "Anyway, I was trying to help Chat. After I did what I could, Ralts teleported us outside. Misdreavus found the little device causing these things by then and it was a simple matter of just getting it and breaking it from there."

"Wow. You're really amazing."

"Not really. I just did what I had to."

"Do you have any idea what those devices are, or who's putting them on pokémon?"

"None. Chat Noir and I are looking into it, but we're trusting the police with most of those kinds of things."

"Oh? Why? How closely are you working with the police?"

"Not very, to be honest. Chat and I just agreed that if a pokémon mega evolves and starts acting out, then we'll interfere. Until that point, we're letting the police handle it. We only took action because of my Mega Stone. Mawile is strong enough to compete with these pokémon, where the police would struggle considerably more. Without a doubt, more people would get hurt. We're only trying to minimize damage from these attacks. The police are still spearheading the investigation."

"So you really are a protector of Lumiose, huh?" Alya's voice held a tone of awe.

"I guess. I'm only doing what anyone in my position would."

"How did you get your Mega Stone?"

"I can't say." _Mostly because I have no clue. But it's probably best not to let that out._

Alya frowned slightly. "What about Chat Noir. He hasn't shown mega evolution. Does he have a stone too?"

"No."

"But he fights with you?"

"He's my partner. Without him, mega evolution wouldn't matter. I can only fight these pokémon because he has my back. We keep each other as safe as possible." Marinette recalled saying something similar to a police officer after the heracross incident.

She also remembered that then, it was a lie. This time, she really, really meant it.

"You care about him a lot?"

"He's a good guy." Marinette gave a weak smile. "And he's my partner. You try fighting wild mega pokémon sometime and not get a little attached to the people alongside you."

Marinette tried to joke, but she knew her voice was a little weak. _Chat, I'm sorry you have to go through this. Zoroark too, I hope you're okay._ Luckily, Alya still laughed, lifting the tone a little. "People like Chat Noir because of his performances and charismatic personality. Are you a fan of Chat Noir?"

Marinette almost laughed. It wasn't that long ago that she was adamantly refusing to adopt the mantle of "Chat Noir fan". "He's my friend," she said after a pause. "I admire his skill, and I look forward to seeing him perform on a real stage. Obviously I support him and love his work."

"And, Ladybug, anyone who has seen the videos of the last two attacks – that means everyone – knows that you just had a change in costume! Tell us about that. Is the mask inspired by our favorite kitty cat?"

Marinette actually did manage to chuckle there. If there was one thing that could distract her enough to feel a little better, it was clothes. "Actually, yes! I wasn't sure about it at first, but Chat has gotten away with just a mask so far and no one's figured out who he is. I figured it would look good for us to match a little. It gives us some visual cohesion for the people watching us. Just so that they know we're a team. I also had a spotted jacket, but I gave it to Chat when we were buried, since he needed it more than I did."

Alya smirked conspiratorially, making Marinette a little nervous. _That look is never good._ "I did notice Chat Noir in a ladybug print jacket when he got into the ambulance. So to clarify, you were in a small cave under the snow, totally alone, with Chat shirtless?"

Marinette felt her cheeks flush. "He was wet and freezing."

Alya just laughed. "Okay, okay, but seriously. You and Chat Noir?"

"It's not romantic, if that's what you're asking. We're just friends."

"Is Chat single?"

Marinette frowned. "When did this turn into a Chat Noir gossip channel?"

Alya blinked wide-eyed at her. "Do those exist? That sounds wonderful."

Marinette rolled her eyes, smiling. "I don't think I'm in a position to comment on Chat Noir's personal life. Next question."

"Alright, alright. Serious time again." Alya let her smile fall. "This is the first time either of you have been hurt. Are you going to continue fighting these pokémon as you have?"

Marinette adopted her serious face as well, sighing. "I need to talk to Chat, he's the one between us two who had it worse. If he can, we'll both definitely be out there next time. If not, I might be a bit late to the scene." Alya raised her eyebrows inquisitively. Marinette just shrugged. "Well if I have to carry him home by the scruff of his neck, it might take me some extra time to get there." Alya laughed loudly at that. "I know Chat is going to try his best, but as I said, we protect each other. If he's not strong enough by the next attack I'm going to have to do what I can on my own, but I'm not dragging him into it if he's sick or weak. He's getting checked by a doctor right now, so I can't say whether he'll be there or not, but don't worry about him, he'll be okay. He might need to rest for a while, but he'll be fine. He wasn't too bad when I left him." Alya looked pointedly to the doors, behind which Zoroark was being tended to. Marinette felt her chest constrict a little. "We're still waiting for news on Zoroark too. But don't worry. If another pokémon attacks, we'll still be here."

"And all Lumiose has to thank you for that. What is it like, fighting something like that? Most trainers never have to go through an experience like that, since battles are so regulated. Is it scary for you?"

"Is it scary?" Marinette huffed in disbelief. "It's terrifying. Chat and I, we wear masks and all, but we're just trainers. We're still people. I have mega evolution and my partner backing me up, that's why I can fight. Of course I'm scared. I'm scared my pokémon or me will get hurt. I'm scared of Chat or his pokémon getting hurt. With reason." She gestured to the door. "But that's how it is. It's terrifying, but I have the power to help protect the city. I'm using it because using it helps everyone, including the pokémon. Knowing tha-" Marinette paused, catching sight of the Pokemon Center front door opening and the ledian that flew in, carrying a folded piece of paper in her hands. "Ledian." Marinette immediately tried to get up. "Sorry Alya, could you let me out for a second?"

Alya took in the situation quickly and slipped out of the seat so Marinette could rocket away to embrace Chat's ledian. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked hurriedly. "Is he okay? What did the doctors say?"

Ledian offered a weak smile and held up the paper. Marinette took it and carefully unfolded it, reading it in the middle of the lobby, not caring that people were looking at her.

 _Ladybug,_

 _The doctor said I'm okay and free to go, so I'm heading over to the Centrico Plaza Pokémon Center right now. Send Ledian back if you're at a different one, okay? She'll find me. Oh, and Juleka's with me, so don't worry. Just be there for Zoroark, please._

 _Thank you,  
Chat Noir_

The letter was hastily scrawled on the back of some empty form, delivered to her by a nervous Ledian. Marinette felt her heart swell at the look on Ledian's face. As scared as she was for Zoroark, she knew that for Chat and his pokémon, everything was so much worse. Still, Ledian wore the haunted expression of someone who had already seen loss and was already accepting the possibility. Marinette wasn't there yet, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what Ledian (and, possibly, Chat?) had gone through that would leave her so calm and resigned when her teammate was in intensive care. She worried, obviously, but she looked like she already accepted the worst.

Marinette couldn't. She hugged Ledian. "I wish I could tell you how he is," she whispered. "Thank you for letting me know about Chat."

She still had no confirmation on Zoroark, but Chat was okay. And he was on his way. Marinette sank back into the booth, sighing. Ledian perched on her head before Alya slid in next to her again. "Good news?"

"Chat Noir is okay," she said, smiling. "He's okay. The doctors released him so he's heading over here now."

"That's great! Can you answer one more question before I let you go?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Why do you wear a mask in the first place? I'm sure Lumiose would like to know who it's hero is. We all know Chat Noir is a stage name, but you?"

Marinette looked carefully at Alya. It was a logical question, but it felt a little accusatory from Marinette's perspective. _No, I can't tell her._ "Several reasons. At first it was just that I didn't want people to know I have a Mega Stone. They're pretty rare items, you know, and I didn't want to make myself a target for criminals or anything."

Alya nodded along. "Understandable."

"But then this kind of blew up, and I'm a 'hero' now. So there's kind of two main reasons, yeah? It's that I don't want the people in my life, my family and friends, to worry about me."

"What if you get hurt?"

Marinette shrugged. "Then if telling them is necessary, that's fine. I don't want to worry them or risk the chance of them trying to stop me. If anything's become clear in these last two attacks, it's that I really can help. I don't want to let you all down. And the last reason is that since people are starting to kind of know me, since 'Ladybug' is becoming or will become a well-known name, I don't want that hanging over me when this is over and I try to live my life as a normal trainer again. I have dreams like anyone else, I don't want me being Ladybug to affect that."

"I'd think being Ladybug would be good for you."

"Even if it is, I don't want to reach my goals because of that. I don't want Ladybug's fame to affect a decision that should be made from my skill. Even if it did help me."

"Very good reasons. Thank you for this, Ladybug." Alya grinned at her and held out her hand to shake.

"Of course!" Marinette said, shaking hands with her friend. "Anything to help."

"By the way, Ladybug, here's my number and email." Alya wrote down both contact methods on a napkin and handed it to her. "Contact me if you need anything, and follow the Ladyblog. I'll be investigating on my own and I'll relay what I find through the blog. I'm sure you're following the police investigation closely, but I'll be doing what I can to dig up everything I can find. Plus, I'll be speculating on my own. Maybe it'll help you."

 _Of course she's investigating. She wouldn't be Alya if she wasn't. And knowing Alya, I'm sure she will be extremely helpful. I should tell Chat to check out the blog too, so he can keep up with all the news. I know Alya will somehow find everything we need to know._

 _This could be really good for us._ "I will." Marinette smiled at her.

Even if Alya didn't know it was her behind the mask, knowing Alya still had her back was among the most steadying things Marinette felt. With Alya on the case, she knew she had someone in her corner, besides Chat of course, and it felt good. It gave her that much more courage and confidence.

Once again, the front doors slid open, catching Marinette's attention, and this time Chat Noir came skidding inside, tailed by Juleka.

Alya had already stood. Her aipom was on her shoulder and she looked happy to see Chat. Marinette got up and sprinted to him, meeting him halfway and crushing him in a hug. "Ow, hey, uh… Zoroark?"

Marinette loosened her hold, mindful of his bruises, and turned her head to the door they took Zoroark behind.

"Oh."


	17. Rocco

_Um._ Adrien's mind froze on him after he had finally gotten to the Pokémon Center. _Ladybug is hugging me._ And it _hurt_. "Ow, hey," he said, shifting uncomfortably. Her hands pressed against his back, where he had a rather large bruise from the abomasnow smacking him over the river wall. "Uh…" he wasn't sure what to say. _What do you say when a girl surprise hugs you? And ow, she's very strong, too._ He ended up just going with the major thing on his mind at that moment, though he wished he had worded it more eloquently. Or at all, really. "Zoroark?"

Ladybug relaxed her hold on him, not letting him go entirely but backing off enough that he could breathe and she wasn't hurting him. She turned to look at a door that led to the back part of the Pokémon Center, where the nurses worked. _He's still in treatment. No word yet._ "Oh." He knew his voice was strained, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"I'm glad you're okay."

Adrien stared in shock at Ladybug while his heart did a little jig in his chest. "I didn't- I mean, uh, thank you?"

She hummed softly into his chest before separating from him, holding by the shoulders for a moment as she looked him up and down. _Either she's checking to make sure I'm not hurt or she's checking me out._ "Where on Earth did you get that sweater?" Ladybug asked, dropping her hands to cover her mouth and stomach as she giggled.

Adrien just then remembered the sweater that Juleka had given him on the way over. _Definitely checking for injuries._ He grinned down at it, loving how it made Ladybug laugh despite how simple it was. _It's not even a pun. It just says "meow"._ "Juleka lent it to me," he said.

Alya came up behind Ladybug, smirking at Juleka. "Why do you have cat sweaters?"

"When one of your best friends is a giant, pun-loving cat, it happens." Juleka shrugged.

"Aw, Jules." Adrien smiled lovingly at her.

Alya snickered. "The fact that you take that as a compliment is extraordinary."

Juleka smiled back at him. "I meant it as a compliment."

"I know!" Adrien hugged her and picked her up. "And I love it." He put her down then, and the mood fell with her. His smile dropped and his heart ached. Cautiously, he looked at Ladybug and Alya. "So you don't know anything yet?"

"No." _That means it's bad enough that the nurses haven't left him._ Tikki, from atop Ladybug's head, made some small noises of comfort, but Adrien could tell that she wasn't getting her hopes up. _But then, she wouldn't. She'll stay optimistic, but she knows better than to say he's okay._

 _Huh. She looks like she belongs there. Maybe it's Ladybug's design choice. Speaking of._ "Oh, right, Ladybug." He turned to Juleka reaching for her bag to retrieve the ladybug-print jacket. "Thank you again. This is yours."

Ladybug took it with a sad smile.

The next ten minutes were spent in relative silence. Alya tried to talk to him but once he sat for a moment he couldn't tear his thoughts or his gaze away from the door hiding Rocco from him. For a good while, he was violently pacing back and forth next to the table, but his legs were still weak and he had to sit down, so instead he was restlessly tapping the table with his fingers, drumming a tune he'd play on the piano for Rocco. _This waiting is going to kill me._

When a voice on the intercom called for Ladybug, Adrien jumped out of his seat, following Ladybug to the counter like a lost puppy.

The man behind the counter handed her a tray with six pokéballs on it. "Here you are," the man said. "The zoroark is still being treated, but the rest of your pokémon are fine. They just need some rest."

"Thank you."

"How is Zoroark?" Adrien asked.

The man gave him a sympathetic smile. _I don't want to see that anymore I just want someone to tell me about Rocco!_ "He has a concussion, some fractured ribs and a punctured lung." _Oh, Arceus._ Adrien put a hand on his chest as if that would help steady him at all. "I'm sorry but that's all I know. I'm not one of the doctors working on him." _Rocco…_ "It's not as bad as it sounds. We've seen cases like this before. At this point with Zoroark, I wouldn't worry. But why don't you go out for a bit? We'll call you when we have an update."

"That's a good idea," Juleka said. "Ladybug and you should go. I'll stay and I'll text you the moment anything happens."

"No, I can't. I have to be here when he-"

Alya clapped him on the back. "No, Juleka's right. You probably have a lot to talk about with Ladybug too, right? Just go outside for a bit, get some fresh air. Take Juleka with you, too. I'll text her when anything changes."

"I can't ask you to stay and-"

"You aren't. I'm telling you. I'm staying, and you three are out of here. Your tapping was driving me crazy anyway." Alya gently guided him towards the front door, with Juleka backing her up. "Don't even try to tell me you guys don't have anything better to do than wait in silence. At least talk to each other. I'll stay here because I'm not in on this big secret but you guys still need to talk."

Ladybug came up beside Alya. "What secret?"

"Oh come on. All superheroes have secrets!" Alya finally managed to get Adrien out into the street and turned back with a smirk. "You two talk your stuff out. I'll keep watch."

As the doors slid shut, Adrien only thought, _Well, at least Rocco knows her._ Juleka took his arm and guided him around the back of the building to the empty battlefield. _What are we supposed to talk about?_

"So, Chat, did you have something you wanted to talk to Ladybug about?" Juleka prompted.

"Do I?" He scratched at his head, trying not to look at Ladybug's expression. "I don't know. All I can think about is…"

"I understand," Ladybug said. "But I guess there are a few things we should talk about."

"Like what?"

"Contact information," Juleka said, "strategy."

"Identities," Ladybug said.

"That. Alya's blog. The investigation. Mega evolution." _Right, I guess there are some things to talk about._ Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose. _Can't this just wait?_

"Chat, I know you're worried, but we may as well make the most of this time while we're waiting. Do you think we can talk through this?"

Adrien nodded, sighing. "Yeah. Yeah alright. I'll try to focus."

"Okay. First thing's first then, we should have some way to contact each other."

"Juleka can give you my phone number."

"Without revealing our identities."

"What are the odds we know each other anyway?"

"Chat." Ladybug's voice was stern. "We need an anonymous communication system."

"Email? Or an app or something, I don't know. I have a Chat Noir email account"

"Email would work. I'll make a new one and send you a message, okay? And be sure to follow Alya's Ladyblog. She's going to be digging into the investigation over those devices." _Of course she is._ He watched as Juleka and Ladybug wrote down strings of numbers and letters for each other. Exchanging emails, probably.

"So you don't want to us to know who the other is?" he asked after a few moments. "Does it really matter that much?"

Ladybug sighed. "I just think it's safer. With you, maybe sometime but I need to keep this professional. We can't afford to get distracted while we have feral mega pokémon to fight." _We. It's we now for her._ "Quite frankly, I don't want anyone to know what I'm doing, and I guess that extends to you too, even if it doesn't make much sense."

Adrien shrugged. He didn't really care anymore, or at least not at that moment. "Whatever makes you comfortable. What else do we need to talk about?"

Ladybug bit her lip, looking at Juleka. "You mentioned Mega Evolution."

Juleka nodded. "Chat has a stone too, but he can't trigger it yet. I was thinking you might be able to help him." _Right, I was going to ask her about that. Like last Thursday or something, before everything went to shit._

"I'm not sure how much I could help. I don't know what's making it not work for him. I'm honestly not entirely sure why it does work for me. But…" She shrugged. "Maybe we could meet up sometime and try to work on it?" _It's worth a try. Maybe if we figure it out then I won't be so worthless._

 _Of course she doesn't even know, though. She's amazing. She probably just picked it up and bam, mega evolution. Arceus. She was so right back then. If I can't mega evolve then I have no business being out there. I'm no better than any other trainer. In fact, I'm worse, because I'm putting myself and my pokémon in fights I know we're not cut out for._

 _Punctured lung… fractured ribs… Arceus, he must be in so much pain right now. I don't care what he used to do, he hasn't been in intensive battles for a long time and I'm definitely not a trainer who knows enough to help him through one. I should never have put him or Plagg or anyone else in that position._

"Chat?"

"Sorry." Adrien wiped the tears from his eyes before they had the chance to fall. "That's fine, whatever." _He probably hates me now._ Adrien felt a chill run down his spine, and in one horrific moment, he realized what he had done. _Arceus, why didn't I think about it? I just threw him straight back into street fighting!_

"Chat Noir – Ah, Ladybug, pardon us for a moment please. – Chat, tell me what's wrong." Juleka hugged him, mostly just his head in an attempt to avoid his bruises. He buried his face into her, feeling less embarrassed about the tears when she was the only one who could feel them.

"I-I didn't even realize…" he mumbled. The horrifying realization came upon him suddenly, but the tears were gradual. His breathing became harder as he desperately sucked in air between sobs, each breath tinged with the slightest hint of flowers that was no doubt from Juleka. They did nothing to calm him down, though. "Arceus, he must hate me so much."

"Adrien, tell me what it is."

"R-Rocco. You know what he was doing before I met him!"

"Fighting these pokémon is not the same thing as seedy fighting rings, Adrien." She squeezed him tighter, he returned the gesture.

"It is! H-he came with me because he didn't want to fight anymore! He came with me to get out of that and I- He trusted me to take care of him!" Adrien pulled back, separating from Juleka completely. He wasn't sure where Ladybug was, but she wasn't in sight. He was glad. He really didn't want her to see him like that. "Don't you see? I let him down! Not just because he got h- because of what happened. I let him down by making him fight in the first place!"

"No, Adrien yo-"

"He didn't want to do it anymore, Jules! And I threw him straight back into it without- without even thinking about it! Wh-what kind of trainer am I? What kind of _friend_ am I?"

"It's not the same thing, Adrien. What he was doing before is nothing like what you're doing now. That was a blood sport. That was cruel. That was taking advantage of the pokémon. What you're doing now is helping."

"You think those men didn't excuse their choices?" Adrien spat. "How can I really say I'm helping anyone when I just put one of my best friends in the hospital?! How can I pretend to be a hero when I do exactly what those men did with him before?"

"You're not doing that!"

"I'm doing _exactly_ that! I hug him and tell him I love him but then the moment I need to I tell him to fight for me! I even – Arceus – I even made _Kivva_ a part of it! How can I expect him to trust me? How can I even expect him to like me? I'm doing exactly what his… what his _owners_ did. And I'm doing the same thing to the rest of my pokémon, too. How much of a hero does that make me, Jules? Huh?"

Adrien remembered when Rocco found the words to tell him what had happened. He remembered how horrified he was. He had only met Rocco through a series of strange events, culminating in Rocco impersonating another model in a photoshoot that Adrien wasn't even originally supposed to be a part of. They had become fast friends, despite the language barrier (at the time, Rocco only knew the letters and a few basic words, all things he had taught himself, so even interpreting his writing was rather difficult), much to his father's chagrin.

After Adrien officially "caught" Rocco, after several weeks of them hanging out together, Adrien tutored him to expand his vocabulary and help him learn how to read and write. After that the both of them learned sign language together to make communication even easier.

And then, one night while they were sitting on Adrien's bed, Rocco started telling him about his life before he met Adrien. It was incremental, one story at a time, each one more horrifying than the last, with a few fun anecdotes thrown in to lighten the mood. Not that they stopped Adrien from worrying or hugging him or promising that nothing like that would ever happen to him again. _If there was ever a promise to keep… And I let him down. I betrayed him._

Adrien felt nauseous. _I'm the actual worst person alive._

"Do… do you think pokémon battles are abusive?"

Adrien just cried into his hands. "I don't know! That's not what I'm talking about though! League battles are so heavily regulated that you'd have to actually try to get hurt. It's like fencing, honestly. This isn't that, Juleka. I'm making him fight in a legitimate life and death situation. I'm pitting him against another pokémon who can and will… do what happened. And worse! I- I'm not fit to be a trainer at all, am I? My pokémon all should… they should find a better trainer. One who doesn't hurt them."

"Adrien Agreste, you stop right this instant." Juleka's tone was biting, cutting, in a way totally unexpected from her. Adrien couldn't remember her ever talking like that to anyone. She was usually so gentle. "Don't you dare compare yourself to those people. Don't forget, Rocco told me what happened too. Adrien, you're _nothing_ like them. I can't even believe you'd compare yourself to people who would…" She closed her eyes. "Arceus, I don't even want to think about it. Adrien, you really do care. That's the difference. You care about him and you love him and you want what's best for him. That you have to fight in these attacks has nothing to do with that."

"They told him they cared, too. Remember? How am I any better?"

"They did not care. No one who cared would put him in those rings. No one who cared would tell him they loved him and then…" Adrien felt his tears renew their flow when he noticed Juleka's eyes start to water. She shook visibly. "No one who cared would ever do that to a pokémon. They wouldn't do that to anyone. Ever. Adrien you are _not_ those people. It's- it's terrifying that you even think you could be."

"I don't _want_ to be! I'm just saying what's true! Of course I'm only doing part of what they did, but that's still inexcusable."

"You aren't!" Juleka insisted. "You're not like them!"

"How is this any different?! I'm forcing my pokémon into street battles!"

"No, you aren't! It's different! You have a cause, you're trying to protect people, and I'm one hundred percent sure that if you just ask him he'll tell you that he believes in that!"

"I…" Adrien choked on his words. "I'm not even sure I can trust that. If I did ask him, how do I know I'm not accidentally doing exactly what the ring fighters did? How do I know he's not just… agreeing because he loves me? Because I keep telling him I love him and- oh Arceus. I am _exactly_ like th-"

"I said stop it!" For the first time, Juleka didn't just raise her voice a little. She honest to goodness screamed. Adrien was so stunned that any words he had died on his tongue. Juleka fumed for a few seconds, breathing heavily, before she met his eyes. _I made her cry… damn it, all I do is just-_ "You know what?" Juleka said quietly, so quiet he almost missed her for his own thoughts. "If you won't listen, then I'm done. I can't- I can't listen to this anymore." With nothing more than a shake of her head, she turned on her heel. "Goodbye, Chat."

Adrien couldn't find the words to call out after her. He just stood there and let her go.


	18. Checking In

Marinette, of course, gave Chat and Juleka some privacy when Juleka asked. She even specifically stopped paying attention to them just in case she overheard something that she wasn't supposed to hear. To distract herself, she started talking quietly to Ledian, who had remained with her after she went around the side of the building.

She didn't expect to hear her friends anyway.

At first it wasn't a problem. She couldn't make out what they were saying, only that they were raising their voices a little. Maybe that they were somewhat desperate and pleading. But when Juleka screamed "I said stop it!" Marinette heard it loud and clear.

 _Holy… what are they arguing about that could make Juleka yell like that?_ Marinette exchanged a glance with Ledian, already moving to investigate (not that she didn't trust Chat Noir, but when a girl screams like that, a fellow girl needs to at least check), and jumped when Juleka came around the corner, hugging herself and shuffling past without a glance in her direction. _Uh, that can't be good._ Marinette reached out to her classmate as she passed but Juleka just waved her off and walked away. _Definitely not good. Should I check on Chat?_ Feeling unsure, Marinette cautiously peered around the corner of the building.

And there he was, curled up with his head in his knees, shaking. He was just a tiny spot of black in the middle of the dirt field prepared for pokémon battles. Marinette approached slowly. "Chat?" When she reached his side, she knelt down, putting a hand on his back. "Chat?"

Chat Noir didn't answer her. Instead, he just turned into her and hugged her tightly, sobbing into her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him tentatively, feeling awkward and unsure about the entire situation. _Yeah… I have no idea what's happening._

She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what was wrong, aside from Zoroark being injured but he seemed relatively okay earlier so she knew it couldn't have just been that. _Must be whatever he argued with Juleka about._ But she didn't know what that was, so all she could do was hold him and let him cry.

And she did. And he did. Marinette figured they had sat there for ten minutes at least before he finally started calming down for good. Though she was curious, she didn't ask him why he was crying. She was asked to leave at the start of it and she knew that bringing it up again might only upset him more, so she stayed quiet. A few more minutes passed before he let go of her, sitting back and rubbing at his eyes with his hands. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"It's okay," Marinette said. "Today was rough." She made sure her words were vague enough to include whatever went on between him and Juleka. "Sometimes crying can help."

After that, they sat next to each other in silence until Alya came around the corner, calling for them. Chat leapt to his feet, though the look on his face was more dread than anything else. "Chat Noir!" Alya said. "Zoroark's awake. Where'd Juleka go?"

Chat hesitated a moment and ran past her, around the building to see his pokémon. "She had to leave," he said in passing, his voice a little hoarse. "Thank you for letting me know."

Alya just raised her eyebrows at him, shook her head, and turned back to Marinette, holding a hand out. Marinette took it and let Alya pull her to her feet. "Is he okay?"

"I'm not sure. He has a lot to deal with right now."

"Girl, I hear you. It's not every day a pokémon gets that hurt. Even I'm terrified, and I don't even know him." _And somehow, I doubt that's all there is to it. Oh well. If he needs me he'll tell me. All I can do now is be there for him._ "Come on, let's go check on them."

"Yeah." _Everyone will be fine. But…_

"Oh man, Ladybug, I just have to say how cool this is! You're a hero! You know my blog is already popular? People all over Lumiose, and even other places, love you! I know that it's not easy, today proves that, but I really think it's amazing that you're going to keep fighting for us anyway!"

 _Arceus, is that really what people think of me?_ "Alya."

"I just want to make sure you know that it's not just me who really appreciates what you're doing. Everyone does."

"Alya."

"Yeah?"

"You have no idea how weird that sounds."

Alya gave her a short laugh. "Yeah, I guess so. It's a little easy to forget that you're just a person. How old are you, anyway? You must be old enough to travel, right?"

"Seventeen. So, yeah. I don't plan on leaving anytime soon, though."

"Of course not, Lumiose still needs you, after all." Marinette hummed as they made their way into the Pokemon Center again. "And, girl, I meant what I said before. If you need me for anything, don't hesitate. I mean, anything. That includes stress relief. Need some retail therapy? Some video games maybe? I'm your girl."

Marinette couldn't help but smile at Alya's big grin. She threw an arm around her friend's shoulder. "Thanks, Alya. I really appreciate it."

"It's the least I could do. Plus, if you're not busy, I could get some more content for the Ladyblog."

"Well, being friends with the topic of your blog has to come with some perks."

"Naturally. It's only expected that I exploit this."

Marinette smiled so Alya knew she wasn't serious. "Muckraker."

"Excuse you, I am only doing my job." Alya grinned back. "You should go visit Zoroark though. I'll hang around a little longer. I want to be able to tell my readers that he's going to be okay. They'll be worried. So, if my new friend wouldn't mind making a little statement for the camera after you visit him…"

"I will. See you soon." They waved to each other and Marinette approached the desk, asking if she could see Zoroark and Chat. The man there guided her to a room deeper into the Center, and left her after opening the door for her.

When she entered, she saw Chat Noir next to the bed that Zoroark was laying in, mumbling while they pressed their cheeks together. _Well, he looks okay. Mostly._ Zoroark looked at her as she entered, and flashed her a pained smile over Chat's shoulder. Ledian flew to hang onto Chat instead, nuzzling Zoroark momentarily herself. Marinette made her way to the other side of the bed and took a chair. She decided to stay out of it, mostly. Zoroark wasn't her pokémon, in fact she had only even seen him twice, both times in the middle of battle, but she wanted to show her support.

She didn't know how to do that, though, when Chat was just burying his head in Zoroark's fur saying "I'm sorry" over and over again. _Zoroark is still smiling, though, so there's that._ "Hey, Zoroark," she said softly, electing to largely ignore Chat Noir for that moment. "I'm glad you're awake."

Zoroark beamed at her and nodded, and then gestured for her to come closer. And closer, and closer, until she was too close for comfort and he was able to nuzzle into her neck for a brief second without exacerbating his chest injury. _That's a thank you, I guess._

"Ladybug," Chat's voice drew her attention. He rubbed at his eyes, and it seemed like he was finally all cried out. "Thank you for being here. You didn't have to."

"Of course I'm going to be here, silly kitty. You're my partner, right? And he is too. We're all in this together."

"I thought you said we weren't partners."

"We weren't. Now we are. I said it was stupid. It still is, but there's no one I'd rather have at my side, yeah? I guess you grew on me."

He stared at her, eyes blown wide and jaw slack. "Ladybug…"

"We'll figure out how to mega evolve your absol, and we'll figure out what's going on and we're going to stop it. That's what heroes do, right?"

"I guess… I'm not much of a hero, though." Chat Noir turned his gaze back to Zoroark. "I'm…" He choked on his words and covered his face in his hands. "I'm the worst kind of person."

Marinette reeled back at that. _Because Zoroark got hurt?! That's not his fault… there must be more to it. Whatever the argument was about. I need to be careful with my words, since I don't know what it was. "Hero" is already ticked off the acceptable terms list._ She exchanged a look with Zoroark, who looked a little sad and helpless, though he smiled gently. _Zoroark really does love him. He definitely doesn't believe what Chat's saying, at least._ "You're the only one who thinks that, Chat," she said, watching him to gauge his reaction. "You're sweet and kind, and you're always trying to do what's best for everyone. Everyone else would say you're the best kind of person."

"They're wrong." He never tore his gaze from Zoroark. "Buddy, I'm so, so sorry. I should never have made you fight. I should never have… Arceus, I'm sorry I'm an idiot. I'm no better than _them_."

The way he spat the word "them", with such venom and disgust, made Marinette want to flinch. It was clear, however, that Zoroark at least knew exactly who Chat was referring to. And he just stared, dumbfounded, at Chat.

And that was right when the doctor came into the room. Marinette jumped to her feet to head him off, since clearly there was something going on with Chat and Zoroark. "Hey," she said, "what's the news?"

"Well…" the man said, taking a look at his clipboard. "Fractured ribs, punctured lung, and a mild concussion. So long as that lung doesn't collapse, and it seems like it should be fine, Zoroark will heal up alright. It's a minor puncture, so it should be able to heal on its own, and there's not much we can do about the ribs except wait." He turned to Zoroark. "Breathing might be a bit hard, but you need to make sure to take full breaths. Shallow breaths will put you at risk of pneumonia. So just watch your breathing, Chat Noir, make sure to watch him after he's released, and you should be fine." The doctor smiled at them. "I don't think I need to tell you all that fighting is a big no-no."

"Trust me, Zoroark is _not_ fighting again unless he's one-hundred percent."

"He's not fighting again," Chat said definitively, adding no extra clause to the statement.

"Good, then. We'll need Zoroark to stay here for a few days so we can monitor his breathing."

"Of course."

The doctor looked at his clipboard again and flipped a paper. "Considering the situation," he said carefully, "we'll need some way to contact you. What would be the best way to do that?"

Chat Noir hesitated. Marinette honestly had no idea how she would go about it in her situation. No one knew who she was. _Maybe I do need someone, just in case one of my pokémon get hurt._ "I don't know." _But doesn't Juleka know who he is? Was it that bad that he feels like he can't make her the emergency contact?_ _Juleka would relay a message like that even if it was Chloé, I don't know what Chat's worrying about._ "I guess my phone but… I left it in my bag and I'm not sure if my family found that." He shook his head. "I'll give you my phone number. I'll be here as much as I can anyway so hopefully it won't matter." _Then, as long as it's just a phone call it doesn't really matter. It's not like the Pokémon Center knows our numbers._

"Speaking of," the doctor said, handing Chat the clipboard and a pen, "should you two be getting home? Your parents must be worried."

 _They would be. Though actually, I should really be at school… hang on. Is Alya skipping school for this?! Ugh, I guess we'll both just have to say we got caught up in the blizzard and couldn't get there. I'm sure we're not the only ones. But my parents should be worried too. It wasn't exactly on my route to school, but it was close enough and if they've been notified of my absence already they'd be driving themselves crazy. It might be on Nino's route too; I should check if he's okay. Oh, Arceus, and Adrien. The abomasnow was on the street straight from his house to Centrico Plaza. I'll have to text them all. At least I'm probably not the only one who missed school. Who wasn't just skipping. And Juleka obviously wasn't there, though she lives across Hibernal Avenue so she probably got to school and left when Chat called her._

Chat's heavy sigh brought her out of her thoughts. "Yeah, if I don't make an appearance soon, there'll be a riot."

"Then you two go ahead. Zoroark is in good hands here. And he's stable, so you shouldn't worry too much."

"Okay." After the doctor left, Zoroark turned a hard look on Chat. "Sorry, bud, you know how my dad is." Zoroark shook his head. Clearly he was focused on what Chat was saying earlier rather than that he needed to leave. "I have to- I'm sorry. I'll be back as soon as I can." Chat bit his lip and left the room, leaving Marinette to smile helplessly at Zoroark, who just sighed and smiled pleasantly at her, gesturing for her to go.

As she left, she paused and touched his paw. "Get well soon. Don't push yourself." He grinned and nodded, so she opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

In the lobby, she was intercepted by Alya. "So," her friend said, her aipom on her shoulder with the camera in his paws, "how is Zoroark?"

Marinette smiled. _There's a lot going on that I just don't understand, but it looks like Zoroark is going to be fine._ "He's stable. The doctor said he needs to stay here for a couple days so they can observe him, but he should heal up fine on his own."

"How did he look to you?"

Marinette remembered him smiling at her, though it was a little pained. "He looked perfectly fine. Happy, even." _Except when Chat doubted himself._ "There's nothing to worry about." _I'm going to need to talk to Chat. He said he should never have made Zoroark fight. If he's not up for this, then I need to tell him it's okay to drop out._

"Thank you, Ladybug. I'm sure everyone will be relieved to hear that."

"Hey, so am I."

Alya laughed. Marinette glanced at Aipom. The trouble with Alya having her aipom take over camera duty was that she was never sure when they were being recorded. The pokémon nearly always had a camera with him and nine times out of ten it was aimed at something. "So are you going to be leaving now? Heading home? I saw Chat Noir leave just now too."

"Yeah, my parents will be worried about me. I need to go let them know I'm okay."

"I guess I should head home too. I've missed this much of school, no point in going for the rest."

Marinette nodded. "Alright, I'll see you another time then."

"Definitely. Until next time!"

She waited until Alya left before taking off herself. She ducked into a changing room and took off her mask and scarf, as well as her shirt, leaving her in just a tank top, which was a bit light for the weather, abomasnow not included, but she could make it back home fine. She just tucked the mask in her pocket, tied the shirt around her waist, and walked with her head high. _People don't question you when you look like you have a purpose._

When she arrived at her home, she dealt with the brief encounter with her parents. She told them that when the blizzard started she had taken cover in a library and decided to read to pass the time. "I looked up and everything was over! I didn't even realize that it ended so long ago, I'm sorry!"

She was released from her parent's scrutiny, and immediately turned her attention to her pokémon. She let them all out and started fussing over them, congratulating and thanking them all for their help, especially Ralts, who was so young, and Ariados, who seemed a little sad (Marinette assured him that he did what he could, and Chat falling in the river was not his fault).

Bisharp had some words for her, and though she couldn't understand them exactly Marinette knew that he was a little upset that Ralts was out so much during the fight. She did her best to calm him, assuring him that if Ralts was ever needed again, she'd let him out to protect him. "I know it's dangerous, but we needed him, badly. And he came out on his own during the avalanche."

Ralts murmured to Bisharp, who sighed and let it go with a nod.

"Now, I need to make a new email address. Any ideas?"


	19. Cooling Off

When Adirien found his way back to the spot he had abandoned the limo at, he checked the nearby alleys for his bag. Luckily, he came across it sitting limp behind a dumpster in only the second alley he came across. _Lucky me. Of course the fact that I did find it means my father has no reason to think I never had my phone with me._

With a sigh, he dug through the bag and retrieved his phone, noticing with a grimace that he had many, many missed calls from his driver, Nathalie, as well as Gabriel Agreste himself.

Adrien bit his lip as he meekly made his way home. _Given my current apparel, Juleka is my only excuse right now._ He gnawed gently on the corner of his phone as he tried in vain to think of any even remotely believable story for why he ditched the driver and school. _Can't even just say I really wanted to walk because I never showed up. Then, the blizzard happened. But the driver probably knows Rocco's abilities well enough that I couldn't say I got out before the snow started._

 _Arceus, I just hope he'll be okay._

Holding his phone firmly in his clenched jaw, Adrien rubbed at his temples. _He will be okay. The doctor said so. That doesn't mean he'll want to see me again, though._

He let out a quiet groan in frustration and shoved his phone in his bag, electing to think about as little as possible for the rest of the walk home.

When he did finally arrive at the doors of the mansion, he was surprised to find that his driver, his father, Nathalie, and a few of the rest of the house staff were all waiting for him in the atrium.

"Adrien! Thank heavens you are safe!" His father reached him first, crushing him with a hug that sent pain shooting through his back and shoulder. Adrien bit his lip to keep quiet.

"Hey dad." Adrien said weakly, offering no explanation. He didn't even have one prepared.

Luckily for him, his father seemed just as unsure of what to say. Though that fact did send a pang of guilt through him. "Adrien, of all the reckless- What could possibly have possessed you to- Just promise me you will never do that again."

Adrien tried to smile, but felt it ended up more like a grimace. Still, the lie came easily. "Of course. I know it was stupid."

His father backed away from him then, brushing himself down after swiping quickly at his eyes. "Yes, well, you do seem to understand what you did was wrong."

"I do, sir."

"But to ensure this does not happen again, I must forbid you from taking your zoroark to school with you."

"I understand. I won't have Rocco out with me in the car anymore."

"Good. Go on up to your room now." Adrien felt his father's hand on his shoulder as he passed by, but he didn't look up from the sparkling tile. He just trudged straight up to his room and collapsed on his bed.

He woke up late at night, near three in the morning, still drained but not really tired anymore. With a glance at his pokéballs, arranged neatly on his desk (he figured that must have been Nathalie. He didn't even remember putting them on his desk in the first place), he decided to just leave his pokémon alone. Calling them out wouldn't necessarily wake them up, but it was likely to at least bother them. _Better to let them rest._ _I really should have let them out before I went to sleep though. Arceus, I'm so terrible._

He rubbed at his face and got up to change into pajamas and snuck silently to the kitchen after his stomach let out a loud grumble. He sat in the dark, with only his phone screen and the faint, ambient street light from outside the window, to light the room, and bit into an apple.

 _Of course I know Juleka is right._ He thought. _But I can't shake it. Maybe battling is wrong. Period. Maybe there's absolutely no situation where it's acceptable. But then how would we stop these megas? Who would stop them? Obviously, that's the difference here. Rocco was battling because he needed to, to protect the city. But does that make it any better than when he was fighting to protect himself? Aren't I still using him? Do selfish or altruistic intentions even matter? What right do I have to say what I'm doing is okay, but those rings were wrong? Whether I'm making him fight to protect the city, or making him fight for my own profit… does it matter from where he stands? I'm doing the same crap to him that those men did._

 _Maybe it is different. Maybe it does matter. But even if noble intentions excused me fighting with Plagg and Tikki, bringing Rocco out was inexcusable. He asked me to take him in so that he wouldn't have to fight again. No matter the circumstances, I should never have put him in a battle. In any battle. Especially not street fights like these._

 _Of course I'm not those men. I guess I understand why that upset Juleka so much. Of course I'm not capable of everything those bastards did to Rocco. But I still let him down – betrayed him._

Adrien sighed, tapping the table. _I wonder how many injuries like that Rocco suffered through, without even any real medical care. I know he hides some of his scars, even from me. How much effort does it take to keep that illusion up all the time, I wonder? And why does he do it? I wouldn't think any different of him because of some scars._ He shook his head. _Best not to think about it. I should just try to go back to sleep and pray to Arceus I can focus in school._

As it turned out, Adrien could not focus in school. He had finally fallen asleep again after over an hour of just tossing and turning, and then woke up late and only arrived at school seconds before class started. When he landed, panting, in his desk, he was just glad he got there at all. There was no blizzard, no sandstorm, no giant beetles trying to murder everyone: it was almost like a normal day.

The only problem, aside from his obvious Rocco issues, was Juleka. She just… ignored him. Of course she was focusing on class, but Adrien expected her to at least glare at him or something. Instead, she just diligently took notes and talked quietly with Rose when it was appropriate. He itched all over because he _wanted_ her to just do something. To give him a second glance, even if it was negative. In fact, he wanted it to be negative. _I deserve it. Arceus, my thick skull made her cry. If the entire class stoned me right now, I'd cast the first stone myself. Because she was right, of course. Not entirely, I still don't think making Rocco fight is in any way acceptable, but I was taking it too far. I was scared and I was panicking because Rocco was hurt. I can admit that._

"Psst, dude." Nino's voice brought Adrien out of his thoughts. His friend's eyebrows knit together as he looked carefully at Adrien. "You okay, man? What's up?"

Adrien swallowed with difficulty. "It's nothing. A small fight with Juleka is all."

"You fought with Juleka? Dude."

"Just… don't worry about it, okay? I'll talk to her after class." Adrien ducked his head into his arms, hitting his chin on the desk just a little too roughly. He didn't show any sign of pain though. Instead, he just sunk into his own thoughts.

And was brought sharply out of them when he heard their teacher mention zoroark. He lifted his head and quickly tried to assess the situation. "…or pokémon such as lucario, which have certain talents over aura."

Alix raised a hand and was called on. "But aura isn't game-breaking. It gives lucario an advantage, sure, but it can easily be countered if you know what you're doing. There's no reason to restrict that."

The teacher nodded approvingly. "That is true. Aura is a wave, and can be interrupted by other waves. That is the argument commonly used by those fighting the bill. Can anyone tell me what the argument is against restricting illusory abilities like those used by zoroark?" The class was silent. "Anyone?"

Adrien felt eyes on him. No doubt that after bringing Rocco to school, the rest of the class thought he would be easily able to answer the question. Which he could. He just really didn't want to. After a few moments, the teacher sighed. "Illusory tactics focus on obfuscation and distraction. They can be countered so long as both the pokémon and trainer keep a level head and stay focused. Aside from that, illusory tactics are largely harmless, since in most cases illusions can't hurt the opponent, making such tactics bothersome, but not unfair. Commonly, the argument is that illusions are imperfect. A vision is fuzzy, or you or your pokémon can identify the illusions using other senses, therefore it is no more 'game-breaking' than a Smokescreen or Double Team."

The class murmured as they discussed what the teacher had said. "However, zoroark's illusions specifically have come under pressure by certain groups since they aren't what we classify as pokémon 'moves'. Proponents of the bill argue that using such illusions should be classified as a 'move' and restricted appropriately in accordance with the four move limit in official League battles. Similarly, some argue that certain abilities granted by aura should be considered along with moves such as Detect, and are unfair to use in a battle where the move limit is restricted."

Adrien watched Nino write notes but just tapped his cheek with his pen instead of doing the same. "Can anyone tell me what moves have already been banned by the National Pokémon League?"

"Hyper Beam," Chloe said.

"Very good, Ms. Bourgeois. Certain moves, such as Hyper Beam, have been banned because we had too many serious injuries because of them, so they were deemed too dangerous. Anyone else?"

Mylène raised a tentative hand. "Earthquake?"

"Not quite, Mylène, moves like Eathquake and Surf are restricted by the League, to prevent damage to the environment, but can still be used in official battles on the special fields used in sponsored arenas, or the practice arenas set up for trainers who wish to practice with such moves. Anyone else know any banned moves?"

Adrien put his head down again, drifting off after deciding that, though interesting, the lecture wasn't very relevant to his situation. _I need to apologize to Jules for one, and then my next priority has to be to talk to Rocco. I need to apologize to him, first of all, but then I just really need to hear that he wanted to do this as much as I did. I know him; of course he wanted to help protect the city but… I need to hear him say it. Watch him say it, whatever. I'm still in the wrong, since I didn't actually ask him, but maybe with that we can move on. And Rocco can never be in these fights again. Even if he wanted to, he's not fit to. I certainly hope these don't go on long enough that he'll get better in time to be in another one. Broken ribs… that's got to be at least a couple months, right? How long does it take to heal that? Oh man, that means he'll miss the big performance. I'll have to think about that when I_ finally _start choreographing. He'll probably be sad that he's going to have to miss it. Damn. That just makes this whole thing even worse._

He spent the rest of class trying to imagine how his performance would go, envisioning different steps with different pokémon, and taking a few notes when he thought of something he really wanted to try, so he wouldn't forget. Sufficiently distracted, the teacher called class to an end startlingly quickly.

He gathered his things as fast as possible, keeping an eye out behind him to make sure Juleka didn't sneak by, and caught her as she passed. She looked calmly at him. "Wait for me outside," she said.

He echoed her obediently. "Outside."

As she passed, she places a hand gently on his head and suddenly, roughly, tousled his hair. But it was the smile on her lips rather than the playful action that made Adrien grin. _She's fine. We're fine._

He stood, fixing his hair all the while, and left with a nod from Nino.

One elevator ride and ten minutes later, Juleka emerged from Prism Tower. She walked straight to Adrien, took his arm, and kept walking.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know I was being stupid."

"I'm glad you finally noticed."

"I still think I was wrong to make him fight."

Juleka hummed. "Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, you're not those people."

"I know. Thank you."

Adrien watched the glittering glass and old brick building pass by as they walked. He wasn't even quite sure where they were, but he knew his city, and seeing it standing made him happy, given the recent events. He really didn't want to take a stroll down Autumnal Avenue anytime soon.

After several minutes of just walking, maybe Juleka had a destination for all Adrien knew, but for him it was just wandering, Juleka finally spoke again. "I know it's hard, Adrien. I know that, if you don't now, at some point you'll want to give up. But I also know you won't. Rocco wouldn't want you to. Plagg and Tikki wouldn't want to. Even you, deep down, know you wouldn't. It's too important, and especially since Ladybug is relying on you. Just promise me you'll be careful. Half your team is too young to be in these kinds of fights and one of the other three is already hurt."

"Of course I'll be careful."

"And Adrien… don't let this bother you so much, please." Adrien looked over to her, but she kept her eyes trained straight ahead. "You and Ladybug, you're making hard choices, doing things people don't normally have to. Even just fighting already has you in a moral dilemma. I don't want to see if you have to take it to extremes you aren't comfortable with, or if- Oh, never mind. Please, just know that what you're doing is good. You're going to help stop whoever is behind these attacks and sometimes that might mean being more than just a trainer. Just know that I will always be here for you when you need me, okay? No matter how stupid you get or how frustrated I get with you."

Adrien looked away and swallowed hard. _Street fights are dangerous. There's just as big of a chance of us hurting the mega as there is of our pokémon, or us, getting hurt. I didn't even think about it, but… Jules is right again. Someone getting hurt is going to be standard here. We can't protect everyone, even ourselves and the victim. All we can do is our best._ "Thanks, Jules," he said.

"Keep your focus on the big picture, okay? As best you can. I know that when you start thinking of the smaller things, this happens. You're fighting to protect the city and to protect those pokémon being targeted. Someone has to, and you and Ladybug can. The details don't matter."

"I hate to be stubborn, but honestly Jules, I think they do."

"You're a good person, Adrien. You would never do anything unforgivable. I don't care what situation you find yourself in, I know you won't do anything that could make you like those men."

"I hope you're right."

"Adrien… You can't be alone with this, okay? I know I got fed up yesterday, but it's better that you talk to me. You need someone to talk through everything you have to do as Chat. And not just the moral things. It's scary, even for me. I know you must be terrified every time you go out there, but I don't want that to affect you. I know it's impossible, but I don't want Chat Noir becoming a hero to change you."

Adrien smiled a little, and squeezed Juleka's arm. "I'll try to stay grounded, okay?"

"Thank you."

"And hey, if I don't, Girafarig can catch me."

"Adrien!" Juleka pushed him roughly, making him stumble, and crossed her arms, frowning despite Adrien's cheeky grin. "That's not funny!"

"I guarantee you I was more scared than you were. I can joke about it if I want."

Juleka threw her hands up. "Ugh, just… I can't believe you."

"Well, you told me not to change."

That got her to smile, if only a little. She shook her head and sighed. "I did. Maybe a little change could do you good."

"Hey!"

With a smile and a tug on his arm, Juleka started dragging him back to where they came. "Come on, let's go visit Rocco."

Adrien smiled back. "Yeah, let's."


	20. Moving Forward

"Marinette! Chat Noir is here for you!"

Marinette started at the sound of her mother's voice, looking up from the mannequin to take a quick glance at the time. _Oh man, it's been that long already?_ In a flash, she finished pinning what she was working on and made her way to the door. When she lifted the hatch to head down, she saw Chat Noir already at the base of the stairs. "Good afternoon, Princess," he said with a smile. "I hope I'm not too late."

"Not at all," Marinette said, "come on up." Moving aside, she held the hatch open for him. As she lowered the door, she glanced up as he examined her room.

"So," Chat Noir said, "was that a skitty I saw downstairs? I never knew that my princess was a cat person."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Maybe I am." She chuckled at his pleased expression. "Anyway, how are you doing?"

Chat Noir flinched. "Been better. You've heard all about it, I expect."

"Yeah, it was on the Ladyblog. I just thought I'd-"

"Do me a favor? Can we not talk about Zoroark? Y-you said you need me for fitting?"

Marinette swallowed hard. She wanted to extend a hand to him like he did for her after the aggron in the school, that's all. But she understood why he wouldn't want to talk. _We're not even friends, really. I just hope Juleka can support him through this._ "Yeah. Over here."

She led him to an open space and started stripping her mannequins, starting with the jacket, and handing the partly assembled garment to Chat. He removed his hoodie so he had only a simple black shirt before donning the jacket. As she fussed over the fitting (for the most part, it was only minor adjustments needed), she bit her lip. "I…" She began, trailing off as she tried to find the right words. Chat looked over his shoulder at her. "I know you probably don't want to hear it, but I'm glad you're doing what you are."

"Are you?"

"Yeah. Knowing these things are happening is scary and it's… comforting to know that you're trying to help." Marinette bit her tongue but mentally chastised herself for it. _It's not like he's going to take advantage of anything you say. You're trying to comfort him. If that means being cheesy then that's fine._

Chat turned his head forward again, bowing it a little. "Thanks. Personally, I'm not sure anymore that it's even the right thing to do."

"Wha-" Marinette was interrupted by her phone chiming. She stood on her tip-toes to look over Chat's shoulder. "Can you see my phone on my desk? What is that?"

Chat lifted up a little as well. "A notification from the Ladyblog."

Marinette frowned. "Alright, just a second." She carefully pinned the jacket in place and walked around Chat to retrieve her phone. "It might be important for you."

She opened the blog, quickly scanning the article. "What the hell?"

"What is it?"

"See for yourself." Marinette shrugged and handed the phone to him.

"Police ask Ladybug and Chat Noir to attend pokémon rehabilitation?" Chat raised his eyebrows. "The aggron captured at Françoise Dupont High, and responsible for the school's destruction and relocation of classes, is considered to be the first of a chain of mega evolution blah, blah, uh… behavioral check postponed after strange device found during the heracross incident… Oh, here we go. The Lumiose City Police Department ask Ladybug and Chat Noir, two trainers who have been working to subdue the mega pokémon's rampages, to attend the standard behavior check of this Aggron, tomorrow, Thursday the fifteenth at five p.m. as a precaution, since it is believed one of those devices may still be on the Aggron. The LCPD is confident that the two trainer's services will be unnecessary, but feel having them present is best for the safety of both the officers and the other pokémon in the Centrico Plaza Pokémon Rehabilitation Center." Chat Noir paused for a long while. "Huh. I guess it is safest to have Mawile there. Still, they should be able to contain Aggron if they're prepared for it."

"Probably."

Marinette hummed as she continued fussing with the jacket. Chat kept scrolling. "Oh, that's interesting."

"What is?"

"Listen to this. 'The LCPD also makes a preemptive stand against backlash from their decision to work with the heroes, claiming that Ladybug and Chat Noir do not and have not broken the law and are officially being recognized as independent investigators rather than vigilantes, and will be treated accordingly.' I never imagined myself as a private investigator."

"Don't you need a license to be a private investigator?"

"I think so. Are the police in charge of those licenses? If they are then maybe they can just appoint us as P.I.s."

Marinette sighed. "I have no idea how people get P.I. licenses, dude."

"Well, either way, they're doing it."

"Does this mean you're going to get paid for this?"

Chat Noir laughed. Marinette smiled seeing him grinning and laughing so loudly. He was almost back to normal for those few seconds. "I hope so. They do say 'independent investigators' and not 'private investigators' though, so it's probably a different thing."

Marinette laughed along with him but paused her work a few seconds later. "So are you going to go to that?"

Chat looked at her incredulously. "Of course! I have to."

Swallowing her nerves, Marinette once again broached the subject she knew would upset Chat. "Maybe not. As you said, the police will be very prepared for this. Most likely, you won't even need to do anything. I'm sure Ladybug would be happy to handle it alone if you'd rather spend more time with Zoroark instead."

Chat's smile turned sad, but he didn't avoid it like earlier. "No, I need to go regardless. I know Ladybug would take care of it but… If I'm going to be a part of this, I need to be seen there. This is more than just Aggron. It's validating us. The police are recognizing us. Even if we aren't necessary, it's best for us to go, just to cover our butts legally if nothing else. And the whole city will be watching this. Especially after what happened with Zoroark, I have to show them I'm still fighting for them."

"That's… true." Marinette thought the conversation over for a few seconds. "But… you keep saying you have to do this or it's best to do that. Do you actually _want_ to keep fighting?"

She saw Chat bite his lip and move his gaze to the floor. After several minutes of silence, Chat shook his head. Marinette gently helped him remove the jacket. "I'm not sure. I know it's best for the city and I know it's best for… people like you. My friends and everything. I'm just not sure anymore that I'm doing good by my pokémon. And I'm not sure if my motivations really matter if that's the case."

Marinette let that information digest a little before she dared speak. _It makes sense. If his pokémon are getting hurt doing this, he must feel responsible._ She picked up the shirt she made for him, waiting as he unhesitatingly removed his shirt in one swift motion, and helped him put the new shirt on without pricking him or letting too many pins come loose.

After a little longer, Marinette spoke. "I understand that. You are responsible for them – your pokémon – and so I understand that it must be hard but… I suppose this is something where you have to decide if the ends justify the means." She bit her lip. "You and Ladybug being out there; you give a lot of people peace of mind when they would otherwise be terrified." She thought briefly of Alya, so confident in them that she wasn't even phased by the mega pokémon. She even, when she could, ran towards the action. Alya was brave, yes, but she wasn't stupid. She wouldn't run into danger if she wasn't confident she could get out, regardless of the story. "You save a lot of people from being injured. Maybe you even save their lives. I can't speak for everyone else, but I, at least, really admire what you're doing.

"But I can't tell you if what you're doing is 'right'. I'm not fighting. I can only speak for what you accomplish, not what you do to accomplish it or why you're doing it. It's up to you whether you think fighting is worth the effect you have on the city." She gave him a gentle pat on the back and quickly returned to her work, focusing on the shirt rather than his shocked expression.

"You're really smart; you know that?" Chat said.

She dared smirk at that. "I try."

"Hey, Marinette." She looked up to meet his eyes, gleaming green and sparkling with life. "Thank you."

Marinette grinned. "Anytime."

The two only made small talk as Marinette finished with the shirt, though she watched him closely. She had, of course, been worried about him. But now that he had opened up just a little about what exactly was on his mind, she felt much better. Still, throughout the rest of their time together, she paid extra attention to him, always doing her best to get a smile out of him. "Alright, this is done. Let's get it off."

Chat spared her the smart talk, though she wasn't sure if that was a good sign (she did note, however, the casual smile he maintained), and removed the shirt carefully so as not to ruin all of her adjustments.

"That's that, then. I'll finish up sewing these and then I'll make your pants." She took the bundle of cloth and slung it carefully over the mannequin. "After that, I'll be able to focus on the accessories. Most likely I'll do the gloves – actually, I think I can probably start on those when you come next to fit the pants. I'll get everything ready and take that bit of extra time to trace your hand then. After that, I'll use the rest of my time to make sure your tail moves exactly right. We'll probably have to meet somewhat regularly to work on that. Sound good?"

"Sounds brilliant." Chat Noir smiled, pulling his own shirt back on, and his hoodie immediately after. "I'll see you then? I should get to the Pokémon Center. And a computer - need to email Ladybug."

"Yeah, get going then. I'll just keep working."

"And Marinette? There's still a month until the showcase and you're already almost done with the top. Don't work yourself too hard, alright?"

Marinette shoved him playfully. "Don't worry, Guyliner. I wouldn't overwork myself for your sake."

Chat feigned offence, pressing a hand to his chest. "Princess, you wound me."

"Go on, you have places to be."

He laughed, turning to leave even as he said, "Honestly, by your side is a pretty great place to be, I think."

"You're incorrigible."

"I try." He lifted the trapdoor and began his descent. "See you later, Princess."

"Later, Kitten."

When the trapdoor closed and Chat Noir had gone, Marinette turned away, smiling. _He's going to be just fine._

* * *

Ladybug made her appearance at the rehabilitation center, but the police proved more than capable of sedating Aggron before he started to show signs of being affected by the devices.

It was all a fairly simple process, actually. Marinette made her way to the rehabilitation center, dressed up as her superhero counterpart, was escorted through the crowd by officers who caught sight of her approaching, and met up with Chat Noir in a waiting room. The two didn't talk much. Chat Noir, though he seemed better than before, was still quiet and a little brooding. Marinette decided it was best to leave him to his thoughts. _If he wants to talk to me, he will. For now, I'll just be here._ She sat next to him, her knee brushing his, just so he knew she was with him, but busied herself by examining the pristine tile surrounding her.

It made her uncomfortable. Everything was spotless. The gentle humming of the lights above her was the only sound that reached her, and that only reminded her of the buzzing of the heracross nearly a week earlier.

It didn't even seem appropriate for what they were doing. The décor was minimalistic and sleek, the colors greyscale, the surfaces spotless. Marinette felt like she was in some sort of laboratory.

After a few minutes, a woman came in, requesting that they follow her. Marinette stood along with Chat Noir and followed the woman through a door in the back into a room lined with kennels.

Marinette frowned, and breathing came with a little bit of difficulty, but she tried not to be obvious. As she scanned the lines of cages, she couldn't think of a better word for them. _Kennels._

She saw some pokémon she would expect to find there. Pet pokémon. A few herdier, a glameow or two, a snubbul. But others struck her as odd. A lucario, a gardevoir, a machoke. Towards the back, she even saw a heracross that lifted its head when she passed, moving slowly towards the bars to watch her.

She shuddered.

It was hard for her to see pokémon – any pokémon – in the bare cages, with nothing but a towel as cushioning.

"Scary how close this is…" Chat muttered, talking only to himself and wrapping his arms around his torso, hunching over a little. "It's just how I pictured them."

Marinette wasn't sure what the context for his words were, but she could tell that Chat didn't think any better of the rehabilitation center than she did.

 _I wonder if it's just money restrictions, or if this is just the best they're willing to do. At least it's only a temporary shelter. Pokémon should only be staying here until they get better. Not a friendly environment, though._

Marinette held her tongue, and followed the woman to the end of the kennels, passing through another door into a narrower hallway, with multiple large, empty rooms just as sterile-looking as the rest of the rehabilitation center lining it.

"Ladybug, Chat Noir, you made it."

Marinette faced a woman who introduced herself as the head of the investigation into the mega pokémon. They exchanged their pleasantries, but soon enough Marinette and Chat Noir were being ushered into a room nearby. They could see through a window into one of the large, empty rooms, and watched as a policeman entered that room, pressed the button on a pokéball – releasing Aggron – and brought his other hand up, using the gun in it to fire a single swift shot into the exposed skin under Aggron's plating.

It shocked Marinette, but she breathed out a sigh when she saw the dart in Aggron's neck. _Tranquilizer of some kind. So they can find the device._

They watched as some men searched Aggron, watched as the little device was found after just a minute, and watched as it was taken away as evidence.

"So. Ladybug. Chat Noir. What can you tell us about these megas?"

Marinette tore her eyes from Aggron to look at the investigator. "Nothing that you don't already know."

"Humor me, anyway."

She exchanged a look with Chat and sighed. "We have reason to believe that those devices are what's causing the pokémon to rampage – probably to mega evolve too. The pokémon starts by being irritable, I think, and then it starts acting in pain, and then it starts thrashing."

"Whatever those devices are," Chat said, "they're hurting the pokémon."

"The pokémon we've seen so far have all started hitting things. Ramming into walls, mostly. Aggron chewed on the brick of the school. We weren't there until after the abomasnow mega evolved though, so I can only speak for one of the three."

"I can speak for the second. Heracross was hurting itself too," Chat said.

"We believe that's when the pokémon mega evolves. But again, Aggron didn't end up mega evolving and we only got there after Abomasnow already did, so that's just based on Heracross."

The investigator nodded. "I see. We've been thinking the same thing."

Chat stepped toward the glass, placing a hand on it. "You're going to figure out what those devices do, right? Do you think that will help you track down the person who's doing this?"

"That remains to be seen, but we hope so."

"Have you looked at where all these pokémon have gone? Maybe they've passed through the same area and got the devices placed on them there?" Marinette asked.

"We're looking into it. With a third pokémon, we should be able to narrow it down much further, if that's even any help, but we're still working on tracking the abomasnow's history."

"I see." Marinette tapped her chin. "Well, I'm not sure how much we can help you. That's pretty much all we know."

The investigator frowned. "Of course. Thank you for being here."

Marinette and Chat had to deal with the cops quite a bit more before they were allowed to leave, but none of it was intrusive or accusatory, so Marinette handled it smoothly. The most startling part were the cameras when they opened the door to leave.

Marinette squinted a little at the flashes. _Ugh. Paparazzi._


	21. Recovery

Adrien was excited.

He bounced from foot to foot, shaking Juleka's hand as he brought his own, fingers entwined with hers, to his chest.

Juleka smiled daintily and said nothing.

"He's getting out, Jules."

"I know."

"Oh, Arceus, I have to get him his favorite treats – do you remember how to make that smoothie you made on our anniversary? I'll pay for all the ingredients of course. And he's going to take my bed, of course. I already made the sofa and he is _not_ talking me out of that he's hurt and I'm not taking no for an answer. Oh! And I could get something from Marinette's bakery! He loves Marinette's bake-"

"Adrien." Juleka's gentle voice brought Adrien to a state of near stillness.

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to tell me what Rocco likes. I know."

"I'm sorry, it's just – he's getting out!"

Adrien grinned sheepishly at Juleka's calm stare. "And I already made Rocco's smoothie." Juleka grinned and held up a thermos.

Adrien jumped again in excitement. "Of course you did. Because you're perfect."

"It's nice of you to recognize that."

He stuck his tongue out at her, a move she reciprocated as they entered the Pokémon Center. Adrien made a beeline for Rocco's room, taking care to open the door gently instead of kicking it down like he wanted to do. Rocco didn't like surprises, after all. Adrien poked his head into the room first, feeling Juleka's hair brush his neck as she leaned in above him. "Hey, buddy."

Rocco smiled at him from the bed, gesturing for him to come in. Adrien did, taking up one of the sides and leaning in close to press his head against Rocco's – a nuzzle for greeting since a hug would hurt him. Juleka did the same on Rocco's other side. "So, are you excited to get out of here?" She asked.

Rocco nodded vehemently.

"Good," she said. "Because Chat Noir is going to spoil you."

Rocco just smirked as Adrien protested.

"And so am I. Remember this?" Juleka uncapped the thermos, holding it out to Rocco. His nose twitched and he perked up. After a second's delay, he shot up – too fast – and sat clutching at his ribs, the smoothie momentarily forgotten. "Hey, be careful." He glanced guiltily up at her and nodded, reaching out slowly for the thermos.

Once he had it in his grip, his form shifted into his favored human image, and he signed to them, raising an eyebrow. "Ladybug?"

"No new mega attacks," Juleka said. "Ladybug and Chat have been in contact, though. They're going to start training together tomorrow. Chat told you about Aggron?" Rocco nodded. "The police are still looking into the device they got off of him, but they know that it's giving off some kind of signal that messes with pokémon. They have it sealed away, and Aggron is set to be returned to Mylène today."

"Ladybug said she's sorry she can't be here today," Adrien said. "And I'm sorry Nino couldn't. We couldn't tell him because of the identity thing."

Rocco waved it off, shaking his head dismissively. "You're here," he signed.

The doctor came in, then, cutting off all conversation. Adrien signed Rocco out, finished all the standard processes, and then they were free to go.

Since Rocco seemed eager to be anywhere but the Pokémon Center room, Adrien decided not to waste time. "I'll take you home in the pokéball, okay?" Rocco nodded. "Good. Juleka will you come back with us?"

"Of course."

Adrien grinned, pulling out Rocco's pokéball. He spared a moment to kiss the top of Rocco's head and mumble, "I love you, buddy."

Rocco nuzzled into him, pulled back, made the quick sign for "I love you", and dropped the human illusion. Once Juleka had taken the partially emptied thermos, Adrien returned him to the pokéball.

"You know, sometimes I understand your father's concern about you and him in public," Juleka said. Adrien turned to frown at her, trying to keep the corners of his mouth from turning upwards at the small smile and the glint in her eyes. "You're so gay."

Adrien cracked a smile. "I am, isn't it great?"

Juleka smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Adrien wasn't sure if he should ask what she was thinking about. After a moment, she shook her head and took his arm, leading him out of the Pokémon Center.

Like usual, as they made their way leisurely down the street together, they didn't say anything. It took several minutes of content silence before Juleka spoke. "I'm glad you're back to normal with him."

Adrien felt his chest constrict. After his panic – and moral dilemma – he was… weird around Rocco. He couldn't really look at his friend without thinking of what the ring fighters had done to him and without thinking of what _he_ was doing to him. "We had a lot of time to talk."

"Good. You needed it."

"I did."

"Did you find an answer you're satisfied with?"

Adrien hugged himself tightly. "No." He closed his eyes. "But I have to trust him – that he knows what he's doing and that he can make his own decisions. So I am."

"A lot of people would say a pokémon can't make their own decisions."

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that Rocco is just a pokémon." Adrien chuckled. "He's about as human as it gets. And he's a better one than a lot of people."

Juleka giggled a little too. "True. He's passed the Turing test a thousand times."

"That's for machines, Jules. And it's widely criticized."

Juleka rolled her eyes and laughed at him. "Seriously, though, do you still think what you're doing is bad?"

Adrien went quiet for a long time. _Do I? I know I have to, but am I comfortable with it?_ Adrien gritted his teeth and sighed. "I think keeping people safe is good. I think that if my pokémon want to help protect people, I should respect that. I'm not comfortable with it, not entirely, but there's no way to test for manipulation, so I'm going to have to take my pokémon's word for it."

"You wouldn't knowingly manipulate anyone."

"I could do it without knowing, though. That's what I'm worried about."

Juleka hummed quietly. She was quiet for so long that Adrien actually looked over to check if anything was wrong, but she was just furrowing her brow, holding a hand to her chin. Eventually, she spoke, surprising Adrien a little. "Would Rocco hate you if you didn't realize what you were doing?"

"No." Adrien answered quickly, with no hesitation. Rocco was a kind soul, he knew that. He wouldn't blame Adrien as long as he tried to fix it after realizing he'd messed up.

"Those men, the ring fighters, they knew what they were doing. They did it all the time. They raised Rocco with just enough affection to keep him alive and keep him loyal. You? You give him all you have to spare. There's a difference, I think."

Adrien swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn't like thinking about the ring fighters. "I think there is, too."

Adrien felt Juleka's arm gently looped through his tighten suddenly, squeezing his own arm in a vice. "Do you ever think about what he must have been through?"

"I try not to," he said honestly.

"Sometimes I wonder how he can still be so…"

"Good?"

Juleka nodded silently. "Yeah. Good."

Adrien bit his lip. Juleka might not have known, but Rocco wasn't always good. _Not always. He's recovered a lot since when I found him. Even Juleka only met him after he'd already improved a lot._ "Because of you," Adrien said. "You let him trust people again."

"That was you, Adrien."

"No." He shook his head. "I was an anomaly. You're the one who convinced him that the ring fighters were the real anomaly – not me. You should have seen him when I found him. He was fine until we realized he was a zoroark. After that…"

"Do you think that's why he pretends to be human?"

Adrien nodded solemnly. "Part of it, at least. Definitely. He learned early on the differences in the way we treat each other. Honestly, I think that's why he taught himself letters too. He was trying to learn how to read even before I met him."

"He wanted to be human. So people wouldn't treat him like a pokémon." Adrien watched Juleka close her eyes. He wasn't sure if this was new information to her – he himself had figured it out a long time ago, but he'd never talked with anyone about it, not even Rocco. "Because the only humans he knew treated pokémon like… Arceus."

"I know, Jules. That's why I try not to think about it."

"You do, though."

"Never said I always succeeded."

Juleka shook her head. "It's still hard to believe that that kind of thing went on at all."

"I know. At least those guys – the ones who used Rocco – are gone."

"Sometimes I wonder about the other pokémon. And the other rings."

Adrien swallowed to try to soothe his dry throat. "I try not to. The police do what they can, and otherwise…"

"Otherwise we only have two masked vigilantes to help out."

Adrien laughed. "I wouldn't know the first thing about stopping them. And I'm not making any of my pokémon fight those pokémon again, even if it was to break up the ring. I don't even know what I'm doing now, honestly. No. Those pokémon… they're trained to hurt. Rocco was lucky to keep his head getting out of that. The megas I fight with Ladybug are strong, but…"

"But they're like you." _They're good. They're scared. They're confused. They're hurting._

 _They're savable._

"Yeah. They're like me. The rings are better left to the people who know what they're doing. Besides, the police don't need help with that. I'd call in if I had any information even without the mask – I have – but the police can break them up without my help."

"I agree. As ironic as it would be, that would be a terrible origin story."

"Arceus, Juleka."

"Just saying. The irony of a former ring pokémon taking down the rings is all good until you realize that the former ring pokémon is fighting another ring pokémon again to do it."

Adrien shuddered. "I _really_ don't want to think about that."

"Sorry."

He shook his head. "It's okay. So long as we agree that I'm sticking with Ladybug, and we're sticking to mega problems."

"Agreed. You step out of bounds and I'll have to put you under Agreste myself."

Adrien turned his gaze on Juleka with a look of utter betrayal. "Juleka, no."

Juleka grinned cheekily at him.

Adrien laughed, and the two of them let that carry them both into another comfortable silence. Just about when they'd reached Jaune Plaza (taking the route there, rather than directly to Adrien's house so that they could stop and get treats from Marinette's bakery), Adrien gently squeezed Juleka's arm. "This might sound weird, but I don't say it enough."

"Oh?"

"I'm glad you figured me out back then. I'm, uh, I'm glad you're in my life."

Juleka seemed surprised at first, even halting her steps momentarily. But then she smiled, and then grinned, and her grin was the ear-to-ear, toothy kind that only happened when someone was really, really happy. Adrien just about melted inside, seeing it. "Thank you," Juleka said, squeezing his own arm. "I'm glad, too."

Adrien felt a warmth in his chest and in his cheeks before Juleka pulled him off course, heading to the opposite side of Jaune Plaza. "Jules?"

Juleka didn't say anything. She just brought them to a stop in front of their school. Or what was left of their school, anyway. "I don't live as close as you," she mumbled. "This is the first time I've seen it."

"Oh." Adrien bit his lip and moved to hug Juleka tightly – from behind so as not to block her vision. He had spent a fair amount of free time staring at the rubble, too. "Are you okay?"

"No. Come on." Juleka stepped forward, out of Adrien's arms, but held a hand out behind her for him to take.

He did and followed her into the ruins of the school.

 _Okay, so I guess it's not actually_ that _bad. It's mostly just the courtyard._ Even as he thought that, though, he had to climb over large chunks of stone and he had to be careful not to trip on the torn up concrete. _Still. It looks like a war zone._

The quiet was eerie, Adrien thought. It made him think of some kind of post-apocalyptic movie, when the music dies down just before something goes horribly wrong. He could still hear white noise from Jaune Plaza, but it seemed muted and muffled while his own breathing and Juleka's seemed amplified tenfold. He squeezed Juleka's hand.

"It's easy to forget what these pokémon can do," she whispered.

"It would have been worse if it wasn't for Ladybug."

"Yeah." Juleka shook her head suddenly and looked behind them. "Hey, you should change out of your Chat Noir outfit. You can't go home like that."

Adrien looked down, seeing the familiar black. "Oh, right." With a quick check to ensure they were out of sight, he dropped his bag, stripped off his hoodie and dug through the bag to find his over shirt. Then he changed pants just as quickly (being a model, he wasn't embarrassed in the slightest changing in front of Juleka. She didn't bat an eyelash at it either.) and then removed his mask. After Juleka took the makeup removal wipes from him and cleaned his eyelids, they set off together back into Jaune Plaza.

"Marinette's, right?"

"Yeah. But, uh, you okay, Jules? Seeing the school like that?"

"Were you, when you first saw it?"

 _No. I was terrified, I felt helpless._

She read his face and continued. "Exactly. I'll be fine, but… not right now, not really." Adrien nodded. He understood.

A little bell chimed when Adrien opened the door into the bakery. He held it open for Juleka and passed through after her, letting the door close gently behind him. "Oh! A-Adrien!" Marinette's familiar voice rang out. "H-how can you- I mean, how can I help you?"

Unfazed by her stuttering, Adrien and Juleka walked up to the counter, deliberating between them on what to get. "You know Rocco loves the cookies," Juleka said.

"But fruit is his favorite, so maybe a fruit pastry?"

"He has the smoothie though and you have lots of fruit at home."

"Not in pastry form."

Marinette tilted her head cutely as she overheard. "Rocco? That's your zoroark, right Adrien?"

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, we're getting him a treat."

"Special occasion?"

"You could say that." Adrien smiled easily. "What would you recommend?"

Marinette smiled, though Adrien noticed that she was looking more at Juleka than him. "Between cookies and something fruity? The salesperson in me would recommend both."

Adrien exchanged a look with Juleka and shrugged. "Both is good."

Juleka nodded, chuckling. "Both is good." She repeated.

That's when Marinette flailed suddenly behind the counter. "N-not that you have to! I- It was just a joke, r-really you don't need to-"

"Marinette." Adrien reached over to touch her hand, to try to get her to stop. "It's okay. I'll take both. Three chocolate chip cookies and one fruity pastry. Surprise me on that one, yeah?" With a wink, he retracted his hand, observing with confusion and a little humor (and a lot of affection – _Arceus, that's really cute._ ) the way Marinette's face turned an even brighter pink than it already was.

Still, she grabbed his order in no time and he paid just as quickly. Treats in hand, he and Juleka turned to leave the bakery. "Thanks, Marinette! See you later!" He called, looking back at her over his shoulder. He chuckled. _Strange how different she acts with Chat, huh? One of these days I'm going to have to figure out why. But that can wait. I have a friend to spoil and a showcase to prepare for and a city to protect._ Absently, he pulled out one of the cookies and handed it to Juleka, taking another to nibble on himself.

"I love everything from that bakery, I swear," he moaned, continuing to eat his cookie.

Juleka coughed a little, and a teasing smirk appeared on her face. "Everything?"

"One hundred percent in love."

"Even Marinette?"

"Sure, her too."

"Adrien!"

"Quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, Jules. You know this."

Juleka laughed. "You're joking about this again. I was serious, you know. Rose, Nino, Alya, and I will set you up with her if you keep doing this."

Adrien chuckled and shrugged. "Set up with Marinette? Not the worst thing that could happen to me." Juleka sent him a stern look. "Okay, okay, fine." He rolled his eyes. "I don't joke about it when Alya's around, though. Because I know how that would turn out."

"Apparently it wouldn't be that bad."

"Well, the dating Marinette part. She's nice. It's the terrifying and meddlesome best friend that I dread to cross. Not that I doubt that her shenanigans would be entertaining. Still."

Juleka rolled her eyes.


	22. Separation

Another day meant another training session with a delightfully punny cat boy and another few hours fending off – or giving in return – casual flirtations. Marinette never thought she'd live to see the day where she was willingly starting pokémon battles. Not with Chat Noir especially.

"Misdreavus, Dazzling Gleam!"

Just as Misdreavus' necklace began to glow, Chat Noir called to Absol. "Shadow Ball."

The ball of dark energy connected with the wave of energy Misdreavus sent out and popped, spraying a gentle, glitter all throughout the plaza that sparkled in the sun and the light from the fading Dazzling Gleam. Marinette rolled her eyes. _Performers._ "Charge Beam!"

"Stone Edge!"

The glowing rocks shot up from the earth, with Misdreavus' Charge Beam arcing from stone to stone. Absol set up the stones so that Misdreavus' attack surged harmlessly in a circle.

"Jump in!" Chat called excitedly.

"Power Gem!" Absol leapt gracefully into the center of the ring of stones, and the electricity made his fur begin to stand on end, puffing him up to look bigger than he was. Misdreavus' attack hit the arcing electricity and burst, causing a small, harmless explosion.

"Flash!"

The bright light blinded Marinette so she had to look away, and when the light cleared, Absol was already above Misdreavus, his horn glowing like a black light and arcs of static electricity trailing him.

"Above you!" She called, but Misdreavus didn't have enough time to dodge. She took the Night Slash and was sent slamming into the ground.

Marinette let out a deep sigh. "Arceus, Chat."

Chat Noir grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Too much?"

"No! It's just that you're such a good trainer!"

Chat flushed. "O-oh. Thank you."

Marinette frowned, stepping forward to check on Misdreavus. She was fine, of course. Absol wasn't trying to hurt her and they weren't battling long anyway. "You're a much better trainer than me, that's for sure. I have no idea why your Mega Stone won't work."

"I'm not better than _you_. You're… amazing!"

"Then why have you won three out of four times?" She sat down where she was, in the grass.

"Because we're pretty much only battling to first hit. My pokémon are more fragile than yours, and I don't have a mega evolving one."

"Yet."

"Yet." He agreed. "But yeah, I know my types, but my pokémon aren't actually as strong as yours."

"So you're just cleverer than me."

"Not at all!" Chat frowned, searching for the right words. "I just meant- I mean-"

Marinette cut him off with a laugh. "Relax, Chat." He slumped down to sit next to her. "You know, when we started this, I thought we were just going to work on you getting your mega evolution working, but I've actually learned a lot from you."

"I learned a lot from you, too."

"You're just saying that."

"No, really!" He bounced a little next to her, grinning. "You taught me how to be brave." Marinette turned her head sharply to meet his eyes. "You taught me what being a hero means."

Marinette looked away quickly, sure that her face was as red as it was with Adrien. "You've got that backwards, Chat. I'm pretty sure that's another thing that you taught me."

He hummed. "I don't think so." Marinette shot him a challenging glare. "You taught me that a hero is someone who can stand up when they don't want to. When they feel like they don't deserve to, even."

"You taught me that a hero is willing to do that. And you taught me that I'm capable of it."

"You taught me that a hero can be afraid, and how not to let that stop me."

"You were doing that before I met you."

"You were a hero before I met you."

Marinette frowned to pretend that her face wasn't flushed. But then, Chat's cheeks were red as well, so she figured she didn't have much reason to be embarrassed. "So were you."

Chat shook his head. "No, I was only inspired by you. I wouldn't have been able to stand up to that heracross if I hadn't seen you the day before."

Marinette shook her head stubbornly. "There's more than one kind of hero, Chat." She closed her eyes, thinking about her time browsing all of Chat's videos. "You're a hero to a lot of people. You help them, you talk to them. I saw all the comments on your videos."

"O-oh. That."

"You're an everyday hero. I'm just a girl with a mask and some fancy rocks."

She felt the warmth of Chat's body pressing into hers from the side. "That's not true. I'm sure you're a hero all the time."

Marinette shook her head. "You don't know that, though. You're just putting too much faith in me."

"No such thing. I know you're a good person. Good people are often heroes without even realizing."

"You don't know me, Chat."

"I'd like to."

Marinette met his eyes once more – she was trapped by the cool green that was simultaneously so much more intense and so much more calming than all the green in Vert Plaza around her. "Maybe another time, Chat," she said, just barely.

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow. "Okay."

The two sat in silence after that, cooling off after their heated practice. Marinette closed her eyes and laid back, feeling the grass tickle any exposed skin, the breeze slide over her – carrying with it the scent of car exhaust and coffee – hearing the rustling, the gentle breathing of Chat and herself and the pokémon all around them all out of sync but still making sense together.

The other training days were spent similarly. They met, they practiced. They battled, Chat instructed her on type and move interactions beyond the basics that every trainer knew, they worked on combinations. Every day they started and ended with trying to solve Chat Noir's mega evolution problem, but never once did Absol mega evolve.

That system went on all week, and all week Marinette got more and more tense. _The first three were all within a week. It's been over a week since Abomasnow and we haven't even heard of a police-stopped incident._ Marinette checked the Ladyblog for the umpteenth time, sighing when she saw there was no new update. _I don't like this._

But no matter how much it bugged Marinette, the week was uneventful. So she used that time to her advantage, training with Chat Noir whenever she could.

One day, Sunday, a week after Zoroark had gotten out of the hospital, the thing she was waiting for finally happened. And more.

"Ladybug…" Chat Noir said nervously, watching his phone intently.

"I see it," she said, holding her own phone to her face. _Two. Houndoom and Manectric. Houndoom is a little further and they're… in opposite directions. Arceus, no._

"I'll take the houndoom."

Something filled Marinette from her toes to her head, and it sent a shudder through her. "Chat? No, we have to do this together."

"We are." He clenched his jaw, looking up towards Bleu Plaza where a houndoom had – according to the live feed on their phones – just mega evolved. "They've already mega evolved. I can hold off the houndoom long enough for you to save the manectric."

"Chat, this is a mega pokémon. We have to work together or-"

"We need to protect the citizens."

"We _are_ citizens."

Chat Noir shook his head vigorously. "Ladybug. Two of my main pokémon are Dark types. I know the Dark type like the back of my hand. I can hold it off."

Marinette felt her lips trembling as she thought about what she was going to do. Once again, throw herself into danger. Once again, face a pokémon intent on hurting her. Even her training all week didn't prepare her for it. _I don't even have Chat with me._ "I'm not worried about _you_ , you stupid cat! I can't beat Manectric on my own!"

"Ladybug! My Lady!" She felt Chat's hands on her shoulders, keeping her steady. His cool green eyes bored into her soul. "You can. I know you can. Trust yourself. Trust your pokémon. I'll be waiting."

With that, he turned and sprinted off toward Centrico Plaza.

Without any other choice, Marinette spun on her heel to start dashing through the tightly knit alleyways – the quickest way to the part of South Boulevard where Manectric had mega evolved. If she just looked up for a moment, it was easy to figure out which way to go. She just had to follow the lightning.

She had relied on Chat Noir. She hadn't fought a mega pokémon alone before. She spent a week training so that they could fight _together_. And immediately she was thrown into a situation where she was all on her own. Sure, she fought Aggron alone, but that was different. She didn't know how bad it was then, he hadn't mega evolved yet, and he was familiar. She had none of those advantages against Manectric. _But here I am running towards it anyway._

She skidded onto South Boulevard and just barely avoided colliding with Manectric. The air was charged and the sharp zing of ozone assaulted her nostrils as the manectric bounded past not even a meter away.

Despite the manectric's bulk, the only thing she really saw was the blinding, white teeth passing her by.

Marinette knew that Chat was right. He had more experience with both Dark and Fire types, and was thus more capable of fighting the houndoom on his own than he would the manectric. Still, she couldn't help but think about how Mawile had a type disadvantage. The only saving grace was that Mawile wasn't a special attacker, so the physical force behind her moves would still be a significant help.

While the manectric took one last leap and turned on a dime to face her, Marinette called out Mawile and Bisharp, tossing Mawile her Mega Stone without a moment's hesitation.

Vicious growls and the crackling of electricity surrounded her, her hair stood on end – she was sure that she looked ridiculous and was glad for her pigtails since she knew without them her hair would be even worse than it was, sticking up like she had touched a tesla coil. Far overhead, the sky was beginning to darken with a forming thunderstorm.

"Mawile!" she said, pulling her Key Stone from her pocket, "mega evolve!"

The manectric didn't wait for her, though, and leapt. Bisharp intercepted it quickly enough, luckily, and Mawile pulled off her mega evolution.

But Marinette didn't even have time to be relieved before the manectric's snapping jaws were flying towards her head again. Mawile leapt into action, catching the manectric in mid-air and twisting to send him into the ground like she had with the heracross.

The force alone was enough to break the asphalt a little and kick up dust. Marinette lifted her light scarf over her mouth and nose. _Okay. Okay, calm down. You can do this. Manectric is fast, you have to stay a step ahead of it._ She ducked under the manectric's next leap and sprinted to center herself better in the street. _What did Chat tell me about electric types? Arceus._

"Bisharp!" Her pokémon leapt into action at her command, positioning himself between the manectric (who had just managed to throw Mawile off) and her.

Manectric growled – pained and savage and angry – and its fur sparked. That was enough of a warning for Bisharp to slam his hands into the ground and summon a Stone Edge attack.

Marinette realized what was happening with just enough time to pray, _please work._ The thunderbolt released arced and crackled but was intercepted and driven off-course by the Stone Edge just as Misdreavus' attack had been in practice earlier in the week. Bisharp made a similar circle of stones around them that the attack diffused between.

Marinette felt sparks prick at her skin, like rubbing her socks on carpet and touching a doorknob. It stung, but the pain didn't linger, and she could largely ignore it.

Foiled, the manectric once again bounded forward, lashing at Bisharp with its electrically charged teeth and claws, but Mawile reentered the fight with a harsh Sucker Punch that sent the manectric flying into one of the stone columns, shattering it into a glitter of energy.

That was just about when the rain started. The clap of thunder rolled over her, it's bass shaking her to the core and sounding more like a cannon to her than a natural occurrence. And once the clouds broke, it was a downpour.

The drumming of rain, though, still wasn't enough to silence the pained growls and whimpers coming from the manectric - or the haunting, ghostly howl that it let loose. Marinette thought she was imagining it, but she swore another pokémon returned the howl, but they sounded so distant she wasn't convinced it wasn't just her mind playing tricks on her. A laugh in the face, salt in the wound, because she was all alone without her partner to back her up.

She gritted her teeth and gave her orders. "Metal Sound!" The shrieking sound of metal on metal finally drowned out all the other noises deafening her. She almost took pleasure in it.

But it also served its intended purpose. The manectric had hunkered down, pawing at its ears, and Bisharp took advantage of the opening with a point-blank Night Slash. _Thanks, Chat._

Marinette smiled. Watching Chat Noir's strategy against her work out just as perfectly against the manectric made her feel less alone. It made her feel like he was right there with her. _Maybe, in a more abstract way, he is._

That thought, that Chat was with her in her spirit, in her pokémon, in her purpose, was enough to set Marinette at ease enough to lose herself in the battle.

So she did.

The manectric launched itself at her or her pokémon again and again, and again and again one of her two pokémon would intercept or redirect the attack. But that wouldn't solve the problem, and Chat was still waiting for her.

 _Where could it be?_ She scanned the manectric with her eyes, looking for any sort of irregularity in the sharp lines of its fur. At first, there were a lot, but that was because of the static making it bristle, not because of a small, hidden device planted on it. By the time she managed to look more thoroughly, the rain had plastered its fur down, and she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the little device. After going at it for a few minutes, she deduced that it must be on the manectric's underside – its belly or the inside of its legs where the long fur hung under it and obscured any good look. _Or maybe its mane._ She could clearly see the rippling muscles under the manectric's fur and skin from above, with no bump or other irregularity to imply the device was hidden there.

The problem was, of course, getting to it. The manectric was fast, mobile, and aggressive. Bisharp was tiring out, and even Mawile showed signs of slowing – which was especially bad since the manectric seemed right as rain and Marinette knew she had a battle with a houndoom incoming.

Bisharp attempted a Night Slash, but the manectric – rather than dodging yet again – caught Bisharp's blade in its jaws and jumped, flipping over Bisharp and sending him spinning to land face-first in the asphalt. Mawile tried to jump to Bisharp's aid, but was caught in the middle by the manectric's electric bite. Despite the way her face scrunched up in pain, Mawile's large jaws still moved, one catching the manectric's front leg and the other the scruff of its neck.

Mawile yelled with exertion and pulled the manectric's leg out from under it, using her other jaw to push it roughly and send it toppling over. Its impact with the ground forced its grip on her to loosen and she managed to escape.

But she didn't have time to shake off the damage, since the manectric, without even fully standing again, had sent a thunderbolt that struck her and left her dazed.

The manectric's fur crackled again, surges of electricity running down it along with the streaming water from the rain, and it dove, tackling Bisharp to the ground again just before he could stand and regain his balance. Without a moment wasted, the manectric turned once more, making a leap straight for Marinette.

She dived to the side, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws, but still getting shocked a little by the residual electricity on its fur. As the manectric passed, the electricity arced to her, striking her in the forearm (raised to protect herself) with a sharp pain and making it go tingly like she had laid on it. It even singed a hole in her jacket.

She shook her arm out vigorously, but before she could fully recover, the manectric spun a full one-eighty and leapt again. The drumming rain, the headache from the intense ozone, and the pain from the spark that hit her arm slowed her enough that the manectric managed to collide with her and force her to the ground. She hit her head on the asphalt and only just had the sense to raise her arm to intercept the manectric's bite before it reached her throat.


	23. Isolation

"I'll be waiting."

Adrien said that, but following through was something else entirely. Running through the streets, seeing plumes of distant smoke rising over the tall buildings, he wasn't nearly as confident.

 _I have two pokémon. One who is especially weak to fire. That means Plagg needs to be the main opponent always. Tikki is better for support, anyway. But Tikki has better synergy with the Bug advantage against the Dark, so I'll have to use her carefully. I can't let the houndoom focus on her too much._

He hesitated momentarily when he entered Centrico Plaza, but all the onlookers saw his expression and made a path for him. So he ran.

 _But though houndoom is a Dark type, I have to be careful of the fire. Not to mention it's bound to be vastly stronger than Plagg and Tikki. I can't force it like I do when Ladybug is backing me up. I'm not the support here, I'm the main event. That means every attack needs to be negated or redirected. I can't counter with strength._

He checked his phone one last time, not slowing down. _Hibernal Avenue. That's where Juleka lives. It looks like the houndoom should be far enough down the street that she's safe, but…_ Adrien shook his head. He wasn't going to think about that. He had a job to do. He needed to protect citizens. That was his priority. Even containing the houndoom was secondary. _After that… finding the device._

He turned the corner onto Hibernal Avenue, the straight street stretched before him, but the houndoom was just far enough down that the image wasn't clear.

The bright glow of flames was clear enough, though, especially with the dark clouds swirling in the air to the south beginning to block out the sun.

A distant, muffled howl reached his ears, and he drew close enough to the houndoom just in time to see the mega pokémon pause its Flamethrower to howl back.

Adrien was pretty sure he'd never forget the sound.

It was haunting, in a dark, mysterious way like he'd see in movies. But the most striking thing about it was the harsh, piercing timbre. It was… sad. It sounded like death itself had shown up and decided to have a nice cry.

Adrien could have used a nice cry just then.

Adrien shivered, and tried not to pity the houndoom. A feat much more easily accomplished when he let the sight override the sound.

The only way Adrien could describe the scene was "hellish". Cars were aflame, their metal melting and sagging. Windows on the shop on one side of the street were red-hot. Anything that could be on fire, was, including long lines on the asphalt. _That's right. Houndoom burn a toxin to make their flames._ Adrien was sharply reminded by that fact by the pungent, sweet smell that hung in the air – mixing with the scent of tar and smoke and burning rubber. It was strong enough to make Adrien pull his scarf up over his nose in an attempt to block it just a little.

The scarf that smelled faintly like Ladybug.

Adrien never wished more for her company.

The closer he ran to the houndoom, the more his shoes sunk into the asphalt. He danced sideways a little so that he could run on the concrete instead, but the tar on his shoes stuck, slowing him down. He was also already sweating, and not just from his sprint across Central Lumiose.

He felt like he was running willingly into a furnace. Everything was hazy with the heat, the air burned his throat and lungs, he was pretty sure a car exploded somewhere across the street, but he had to keep his eyes on the houndoom.

And unfortunately, that was when the houndoom decided to set its eyes on him. It shot a current of flame at him, forcing him to dive sideways. Rolling back onto his feet, Adrien watched carefully. _Narrow stream, good. Then we focus on evasion rather than deflection._ He pushed himself off the ground, hissing when his bare hands hit concrete again, and seeing that his palms were red with a slight burn. _And I can't even touch the ground. Perfect._

"Goodra, Rain Dance!"

Adrien snapped his head up at the sound of the familiar voice, noting that the houndoom similarly turned its attention.

Standing on the other side of the street, and a few meters further back, Juleka stood confidently, her eyes blazing in the warm glow of the flames and embers that danced around her. Adrien's heart sped up – if it was possible – seeing her. A hot wind pushed her hair out of her eyes, and he saw a determination and strength that even he never imagined he'd see out of Juleka, who was normally quiet and gentle. Her jaw was set and her brow formed a stern line as she yelled her order like a queen.

And rain began to fall.

A drop, at first, that Adrien was sure wouldn't even hit the ground before evaporating, and then more. After a few tense seconds, it was torrential, and while it didn't put the flames out, it dampened them and cooled the air and let Adrien breathe again without too much pain.

He saw flames lick at houndoom's lips.

"Tikki!"

Tikki sent a Silver Wind attack to intercept the houndoom's Flamethrower. It wouldn't in a million years stop the flames, but it was enough to push the stream off course and send glittering embers scattering through the street. They were quickly extinguished by the rain – thankfully, Adrien didn't want to imagine how hard that would have been to breathe in.

He met Juleka's eyes. Even with the rain muting her figure and blocking his vision, he could see her fierce expression made even more striking with the glow of the fire. She nodded curtly to him, he nodded back. The exchange between them was one between people who knew each other well.

Juleka returned Goodra and turned on her heel to get as far away as she could, stopping only to help an old man – who Adrien thought seemed like he had earned some burns ( _Please be secondary, direct burning from a houndoom… not good._ ) – get away with her.

Adrien knew Juleka would get away. He also knew she'd help anyone she could, and thus would get away much slower than he would like, but he was thankful that she showed up to help him. She wouldn't fight the mega pokémon. She wasn't strong enough, with no mega of her own and little practical experience in battles. Not to mention her team was a bad match against a houndoom anyway. But Adrien appreciated that she came. He was terrified for her, but thankful. She reminded him that even without Ladybug, he had his friends. He had her; he had his pokémon. It was enough. It gave him strength.

Plus, the rain felt _really good_ on the tender skin that had been searing up until that point.

The houndoom leapt towards him, and was knocked away by Plagg's vicious Night Slash.

Steam rose from the asphalt as the water evaporated on the hot tar.

The houndoom slashed at Plagg with his claws. Plagg danced gracefully out of reach. His paw sunk ever so slightly into the asphalt. The houndoom's tail lashed side to side as it prepared to pounce once more.

"Plagg, hold!" Adrien smiled, making quick eye contact with Tikki. _This has to work._

The houndoom gathered its legs under itself and leapt forward, towards Plagg. "Jump!"

Plagg jumped as high as he could. The houndoom landed on its two front paws, already turning a little to reposition, but it wasn't enough. The hard jump made its paws sink into the asphalt further than Plagg's had, and Tikki's Mach Punch hitting it before its back paws managed to touch down sent it tripping over itself and hitting the asphalt face-first.

The houndoom growled darkly, flame licking at its lips once more. It rolled onto its back and sent a Flamethrower sky-wards, toward Tikki and Plagg both.

Tikki dove down, using the speed boost from an Agility to dodge the narrow geyser of flame, as well as push Plagg roughly to the ground before he got burned too.

Plagg grumbled as he stood up again with Tikki perched on his back. The houndoom stood and snarled. Plagg returned the sentiment emphatically.

He jumped onto a nearby car and used it as a springboard to get around the houndoom as the next plume of flame rocketed toward him, and then he struck with an X-Scissor while Tikki floated off his back for just a second and landed on the houndoom, biting down on the back of its neck hard, her teeth infused with the energy from Bug Bite.

The houndoom shook like the wet dog it was, throwing Tikki off before setting its sights back on Adrien. Adrien dropped to the concrete to avoid the Flamethrower and rolled sideways, back onto his knees. Eye contact was all that was necessary for Plagg to jump onto the houndoom's back.

The houndoom thrashed, sending its Flamethrower sporadically and unpredictably. Plagg bit into the scruff on the houndoom's neck, but the houndoom didn't relent, it just bucked and shot flame.

And with it being so much less intent with its attacks, it became much more difficult for Adrien to predict. He spun sideways to avoid one flume, ducked to avoid another, until finally, the houndoom sent a Flamethrower in a wide, arcing sweep, too low to duck under, and moving too slowly for Adrien to jump over. He spotted Tikki out of the corner of his eye, and fell sideways as she rammed into the houndoom's head, pushing it up so he could slide under the flume.

Or almost, anyway.

The Flamethrower caught his arm, his upper forearm, burning through his sleeve in a second and sinking into his skin and Adrien screamed in pain. The rain ensured that he wasn't actually physically on fire, but the damage had been done. A houndoom's flame is made by igniting toxins that, if they got on someone, would very much burn even without fire. And without medical treatment, it didn't _stop_ hurting.

Adrien had heard horror stories about people caught in a houndoom's flame, but he never could have imagined just how much it hurt.

He tried to watch the battle through his tears, but they blurred everything and the rain only made the figures even more unclear and all he really saw was a black and white blur slam into another one.

He heard Plagg's furious yowling, though.

And he heard one of the pokéballs in his pocket let out a pokémon.

He gritted his teeth, forced himself to hold his arm away from his body – where the rain could soothe it a little – and wiped his eyes with his free hand so he could get a good look at the pokémon who had come out.

 _Rocco._ "No," he said, "you can't. Get back in-"

Rocco barked harshly. Not at him – at the houndoom. Rocco didn't even seem to be able to hear Adrien. The feral growl in Rocco's throat was a sound Adrien hadn't heard since nearly the first day he had met the zoroark, and the anger in the snarl was completely alien to him. Adrien didn't remember ever seeing Rocco on all fours either. He looked… _savage._

The houndoom growled, his jaws bathed in flame, and jumped forward. Plagg gathered his legs under him to attack again, but the houndoom didn't stick its landing, it just crumpled in the air and slammed into the ground, writhing as it whined and begged and cried.

Adrien couldn't breathe. He didn't even know what had happened. _Is this from the device? Is this what happens if we take too long? Or…_ He looked at his pokémon one by one, but none of them were touching the houndoom. Tikki was in the air, Plagg was several meters away in the street, and Rocco was still standing protectively over Adrien.

The houndoom cried out again and again, its voice anguished – like it was being tortured in hell. Adrien didn't like how well the scene in front of him fit that image.

Adrien didn't think to do anything because he couldn't think of anything he _could_ do. The houndoom was a pain, it was dangerous, and it hurt him – badly – but he didn't want to see it hurt. The entire point of Chat Noir becoming a hero was to protect everyone, including the pokémon that was being driven mad by the little devices.

Adrien racked his brain for a solution, any solution. He couldn't approach to search for the device while the houndoom was still thrashing, Plagg and Tikki both looked just as shocked as he felt. Only Rocco retained his trembling rage and the curl of his lips. "Rocco."

The rain soothed Adrien's arm just enough that he could spare the thought to really figure out what had happened – was happening. _Rocco. This… this is how he survived those ring fights. It's not an illusion of sight or hearing or… it's a_ touch _illusion. The illusion of pain. Can he really do that?_

The mere thought of such a thing even being possible sent chills down Adrien's spine more than even the houndoom's howl could.

The reality in front of him, that his friend – his sweet, kind, good-natured friend – used and is going to continue to use that ability scared him to death.

For the first time, Adrien was afraid of Rocco. He was far, far more afraid of Rocco than he ever was of any of the mega pokémon.

For that moment, that nauseating instant, he saw Rocco in the way that he knew the ring fighters had seen him. As a kill switch.

Even after figuring it out, Adrien couldn't say anything to try to stop the zoroark. His voice couldn't work; his muscles wouldn't move. All he could do was sit there gaping at the sight while the houndoom thrashed and screamed and cried and writhed, its body contorting to uncomfortable and painful looking angles.

Plagg was the first one to snap out of his stupefied trance. He growled at Rocco. Rocco snarled back with even more ferocity. The houndoom kept crying.

Plagg yowled at Adrien then, their eyes meeting. And only that snapped Adrien out of his own paralysis. Taking a deep breath, and gritting his teeth against the pain in his arm, Adrien stood up.

He stepped toward Rocco. "Rocco. Buddy." Rocco ignored him. He tried again. "Hey, Rocco!" With his uninjured arm, Adrien reached out and gently touched Rocco's shoulder.

Rocco jumped and snapped at Adrien's hand.

Adrien pulled back instinctively before Rocco's jaws closed around his fingers, staring in shock. Adrien couldn't help but think how, even since their first meeting, Rocco had never snapped physically at him like that.

He couldn't help but think it was only a matter of time that it happened, with the way Rocco had been raised before they met.

For his part, Rocco seemed to immediately regret what he had done. His eyes softened, the growl in his throat died, and he plopped down into a sitting position, staring sadly at Adrien.

The houndoom stopped moving.

Adrien did, too.

He vaguely registered Tikki swooping down to frisk the houndoom, and he was fairly certain that she held up a little silver disc proudly and held it out for Plagg to crush with a bite. He only fleetingly registered that the houndoom's mega evolution had ended.

All he could do was stare at Rocco. And then he couldn't do that if he tried.

He sat down, his back to Rocco and Tikki and Plagg and stared, unthinking, at a dying line of flame on the asphalt.

He jumped when he felt Rocco's muzzle nudge him gently, and closed his eyes.

He didn't react at all when he heard Rocco's small whine, or the tell-tale sound of him returning to his pokéball.

He just held his arm out to the rain for as long as he could, straining his muscles to keep it up for so long, brought his knees up to his chest, ducked his head into them, and cried.

Juleka found him first, and Roserade's Aromatherapy kept him subdued and compliant as she silently led him to the closest hospital. Tikki stayed at Hibernal Avenue, to catch Ladybug when she arrived – if she arrived, she'd probably see on the news that the houndoom was taken out.

Adrien thanked the doctor profusely for treating his burn – the doctor insisted that it was just his job, but the soothing cream that cooled his skin and neutralized the houndoom's toxins was such a godsend that Adrien couldn't help it.

Once the doctor wrapped up his arm and gave him an ointment with instructions to regularly apply it and change his bandages, he was let go. Quite a few other people were being treated for much more serious burns, so they couldn't afford to fuss over him.

He was glad.

"Chat," Juleka said. "What's wrong?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head, slumping against the wall in the alley next to the hospital. His voice seemed to give out on him again.

Juleka looked around quickly. "Adrien…"

"R-Rocco," he muttered. "I had no idea he…"

Juleka didn't seem surprised, though Adrien didn't know if she had seen the way the houndoom had been writhing. "Oh, I see. Come on." She tugged at Adrien's hand, and he let her guide him away.


	24. Something Wild

The manectric's jaw closed over Marinette's arm. Its claws dug into her shoulders. Her muscles locked up – she couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

And then the manectric was blindsided and blasted off of her by a powerful torrent of water.

Marinette was too busy trying to get her lungs working again to look back at her savior. She laid there on the asphalt, coughing and sputtering, every muscle in her body burning, bleeding out from her arm and shoulders, and there was only one thing that Marinette was sure of.

Electrocution sucks.

Also, she was very, very lucky that someone happened to think fast enough to hit the manectric off of her.

Also, she was very, very, very lucky that her heart was still beating.

At least, she hoped it was.

But even though she was still struggling to regain control of her own body, and she managed to register the identity of her savior when the girl in question knelt over her and worriedly examined her. _Rose?_

The petit girl, in her pretty pink dress with its bedazzled wings and all, stood over her and fixed her gaze on something off to Marinette's right. She figured it was probably the manectric.

Rose stood with her back to Marinette, the wings on her dress making her seem even more angelic than she already did. She yelled an order that Marinette didn't register, but her fierce expression and firm stance was unmissable.

Milotic, Rose's milotic, coiled around them both, his head raised up with an equally hard expression that seemed almost out of place on the gentle pokémon and the gentle girl but in that moment fit them beautifully.

Marinette tried to sit up, because Milotic's tail blocked off her view of the battle and her pokémon were still fighting and she needed to help them.

"Ice Beam!" Rose called. But Milotic didn't do anything, he just loomed protectively over them. Marinette finally got up enough to see that Mawile was the one that responded to the order, shooting the Ice Beam at the manectric and only just managing to freeze all the rainwater on its hindquarters.

The manectric lunged at Rose, but was repelled by Milotic's Protect before Bisharp slammed into it, sending it off to the side and diverting its attention again.

Marinette felt dizzy. She tried to stand, but Milotic held her where she was with the large fan end of his tail while Rose took charge of the battle.

Marinette closed her eyes, fighting off a wave of nausea and a splitting headache. She cradled her arm, only vaguely aware of how much blood was getting everywhere, and hissed when she moved both from her protesting muscles and the sharp sting in her shoulders.

"It's…" Marinette said as loudly as she dared with her still labored breathing. "The thing. I think it's on its underside."

Rose nodded and called out another order to Marinette's pokémon. "Night Slash, go low!"

Marinette snapped her eyes open and watched as Bisharp tried to cut the manectric's legs out from under it. The mega just managed to jump in time, but then Mawile came crashing into it from the side, successfully flipping it onto its back and holding it down like that.

The manectric was still struggling, at that moment, Mawile had the advantage and managed to pin the manectric by its throat with one set of jaws and slammed its front paws down against its chest with her other set of jaws. The manectric kicked with its hind legs in a futile attempt to escape, and a small, white blur scampered onto the manectric's belly.

 _Pachirisu._ Rose's pokémon made quick work of sifting through the manectric's fur, a task slowed by being thrown off twice before Mawile regained control, and succeeded in snatching a small silver disc between her teeth, sitting calmly on the manectric and nibbling at it.

The manectric discharged for the third time, forcing Mawile to once again readjust after flinching in pain, but Pachirisu just jumped energetically and returned the electrical favor (forcing yet another readjustment on Mawile's part. Marinette could see on her pokémon's face both the pain and the irritation she was going through).

Pachirisu then hopped off of the manectric and returned to Rose, holding up the little silver disc proudly. Once Rose had it in her hands, Mawile jumped off of the manectric, breathing heavier than Marinette and fighting off a grimace.

The manectric rolled onto its feet, sending another bolt of electricity towards them, but Bisharp pushed Mawile towards Rose and Marinette and knelt between them and the manectric, blocking the bolt with a Protect. Marinette thought her heart was in danger of stopping again when she saw Bisharp's Protect bubble begin to crack under the manectric's unrelenting Thunderbolt.

Mawile hurriedly and determinedly turned to face Rose, who threw the little device. Mawile caught it and crushed it in her jaws.

After that, it was only a short time before the manectric stopped fighting. It collapsed, and its mega evolution ended.

Mawile let hers go as well, and she and Bisharp and Milotic all arched over her, worriedly fussing but not daring to actually touch her.

Rose just let out a huge sigh and fell back onto her butt. She covered her face with her hand and screamed, her legs flailing as she did so. "I am _never_ doing anything like that again, oh _Arceus_!"

Marinette laughed, wincing in pain. That brought Rose's attention back to her. "Ladybug! Oh golly, are you okay? There's so much blood, oh man, what do I do?" She reached into her little purse for her phone and quickly called the hospital. In no time, Marinette found herself being loaded into the back of an ambulance.

Rose stayed with her the entire time. Mostly to stop Marinette's protesting. "Rose, I can't! I still need to go help Chat!"

"It's okay, Chat took care of it."

"He took care of it?" Marinette gaped in disbelief. Not that she doubted Chat Noir, but he was fighting a mega pokémon. The sheer power difference meant he shouldn't have been able to take care of it very easily.

"Yes! Juleka told me. She's with Chat right now."

"I want to talk to him."

Rose looked at her with sympathy, and called Juleka, putting the conversation on speaker. "Rose?" Juleka's voice seemed to echo in the crowded ambulance as Marinette did her best to ignore the workers who were fussing over her and the pain they inflicted as they repeatedly touched her too close to her injuries.

"Where's Chat?" She demanded.

There was a short pause. "I'm right here, My Lady."

"The houndoom?"

"We broke the thingy."

Marinette breathed out a sigh she didn't realize she was holding. "Thank Arceus. Good job, Chat."

"But… Ladybug…" Marinette felt something cold wash over her at his tone. She knew he was having trouble with what they were doing in the first place, and that didn't sound like a good sign. "Something happened."

"What's wrong, Chat?"

The line was silent for a long time. "I'll tell you in person. See you soon."

"Chat? Chat!"

"Sorry, LB." Juleka's voice came out again. "It's… uh, well, he's dealing with something pretty complicated."

"Is he okay?"

"He got a few burns, but he should be fine."

Marinette felt her insides boiling. "That's not what I meant." She didn't mean to snap. She _did_ wonder if he was okay, physically, too, and she was relieved to hear that he would be fine. But the way he spoke to her…

She heard Juleka sigh. "No. He's not."

"What happened?"

"It would take a lot of explaining. Please, Ladybug, just be patient. We'll tell you soon. Focus on getting yourself fixed up. This can wait."

"But-"

"The houndoom is taken care of, okay? We'll catch you up later. You can tell us your story then too."

Marinette clenched her jaw. "Fine."

Juleka hung up. "Great," one of the workers in the ambulance said, "now will you _please_ sit still?"

Marinette muttered an apology and resolved to be perfectly compliant for the rest of her trip and visit to the hospital.

Hours later, she was sitting dejectedly, patched up, with clean clothes (with a thoughtfully appropriate color scheme), and with further instructions for her health rattling around in her skull. Rose was still right there with her. "Rose…" she said. The other girl looked at her curiously, willing and happy to lend an ear if she needed it. "Thank you. You were amazing today."

Rose blushed profusely and covered her face, saying something modest with a too-high voice.

"No, really," Marinette said, only half teasing after seeing Rose's reaction. "You saved my life."

She chuckled as Rose stuttered through a thank you.

Marinette shook her head. _I don't think I'm going to be able to hide this._ She looked at her arm, and the stitches scattered throughout it, with a grimace. _Then, most don't know that Ladybug got bit. Only Rose, and Juleka and Chat are going to find out. There's no way I can hide this from them, even if I wear long sleeves._

 _I guess it's not guaranteed that they'd connect the dots, but… I know Rose and Juleka can keep a secret, and Chat is my partner. It only makes sense. Plus, I'll have backup when things like this happen. Someone to turn to._ "Rose."

"Mhmm?"

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

Rose furrowed her brow in cute confusion? "Ladybug?"

"I mean without the mask. We know each other, you know."

Rose looked at her carefully. After a minute, she hesitated. "M-Marinette?" Marinette nodded her head slowly. Rose hugged her gently, and then giggled. "No wonder your pokémon listened to me."

Marinette laughed, too. "Yeah." She was quiet for a moment. "I've never seen you like that before."

"Like what?"

"Fighting the manectric. You were…"

"Oh." Rose blushed again, hiding her face. "I was terrified the whole time."

"Then why did you…"

"You needed help." Rose stared at her own hands, crushed between her thighs as she squirmed. "And you don't let being scared stop you from helping people when they need it."

Marinette stared dumbly at Rose. _I… inspired her?_

"Remember your interview with Alya? You said you were terrified. You said you're just an ordinary trainer. Like me. I'm not… I wasn't going to go fighting those pokémon, but… You told Alya that you fought because you had mega evolution. Because you were strong enough to do something. I… well, when I saw the manectric tackle you… I knew I could do something." Rose covered her face, and muttered the last part so quietly that Marinette nearly missed it. "Even if it was just something small."

Marinette laughed in disbelief. _Small?_ "Yeah, something real tiny like saving my life."

Rose stuttered and blushed and looked away, but Marinette saw her smile.

They sat in amiable silence for a few more moments before Marinette suggested they go look for Chat and Juleka. "Oh! They're at the Pokémon Center! I saw them when I was dropping off Mawile and Bisharp!"

Marinette raised her eyebrows. "Okay. Are they still there?"

"They should be. Juleka said they'd wait for us."

"We shouldn't keep them waiting, then."

Rose nodded and followed Marinette out the door and down the street to the nearby Pokémon Center. Marinette thought briefly on their walk on how she and Chat Noir had switched places from the abomasnow fight, with him waiting with the pokémon while she came from the hospital instead of the other way around. _Luckily, all injuries except Zoroarks weren't as bad then. Though I guess it's not "lucky" since we got hurt this bad this time._ She gently touched the bandages over one of her shoulders. _That's definitely going to leave a scar. We're going to have to be a lot more careful from now on. We can't keep getting hurt like this. Chat still has his performance next month and quite frankly, I don't want my future kids to think I lived through war._

When Marinette and Rose walked into the Pokemon Center, they were directed by one of the staff members to a back room – one of the small bedrooms for travelers – where Juleka and Chat Noir waited.

Juleka was rubbing Chat's back, looking concerned, and Chat just kept his head between his knees as he curled up into a little ball. Juleka was the only one to look up at them when they opened the door.

"Ladybug, there you are."

Marinette immediately sat on the other side of Chat, placing her own hand on his back. "What happened?"

Juleka raised her eyebrows, examining her. "What happened to you? You never said."

Marinette looked carefully at the part of Chat's arm that was bandaged, like her own arm and shoulders were. _Looks like, physically, he got out better than I did._ "Manectric got me," she said simply. "Bite. Claws." She gestured to each of her wounds in turn. "A few electrical burns but nothing dangerous. What happened with him?"

"Flamethrower." Juleka gestured to his arm. "Doctors cleaned up the toxin, but the burn is going to take a while to heal." Marinette nodded, remembering that specific aspect of houndoom flame. "Otherwise, he's upset about Zoroark."

"Again?" Marinette covered her mouth as soon as she said it, realizing how insensitive it sounded. "I mean- did Zoroark get out? Did he get hurt again?"

"Yes, and no. In that order, not like 'sort of'." Juleka nudged Chat Noir, gently. "Do you want to tell her?"

Chat lifted his head, his eyes were red and puffy, but Marinette didn't see any tears. "No. You do it."

Juleka smiled softly, and let him put his head down again. "Chat's Zoroark is a rescue."

Marinette blinked. "A rescue?"

"Chat picked him up off the streets after he escaped from an underground pokémon fighting ring." Marinette choked on air. _Zoroark was a pit fighter?_ "We… don't like to talk about his past, as you can probably understand." Marinette nodded, as did Rose, who already looked about ready to cry. "Anyway, you know how much Chat loves Zoroark. But Zoroark never really acted… troubled, I guess. At least not for a long time. And we never really questioned how Zoroark managed to survive the ring or escape. We just didn't think about it because we didn't want to." Marinette supposed she understood. "But Zoroark is a lot more dangerous than even Chat thought."

"What do you mean by that?"

Juleka pursed her lips and examined her. "You know about Zoroark's ability? Their illusions? Have you ever wondered how they work?"

Marinette blinked, puzzled. "They're illusions. They trick you into thinking something that isn't real."

"Well, zoroark are capable of more than just visual illusons."

Marinette nodded, thinking about her lessons in school. "I think I've heard about that. Some zoroark are better with sounds."

"And some with smell, and some with taste, and some…"

Marinette furrowed her brow. "How would that help… ever?"

"Chat's Zoroark survived the rings because he taught himself to specialize in tricking other pokémon's sense of touch."

"O-kay?"

"He used that ability to make the other pokémon think they were in intense pain."

Suddenly, the implications of what Juleka was saying crashed down on Marinette, and her lungs felt like they were paralyzed again. "Oh."

"Zoroark came out of his pokéball after Chat got burned. Zoroark loves Chat as much as Chat loves him, so he was naturally… angry."

"And he…"

"Yeah. The houndoom didn't even get an attack in." Juleka closed her eyes and shook her head. "And its screams…"

Marinette felt like there was ice in her chest. She looked at Chat. _Protect the people and the pokémon. What Zoroark did… it would be inhumane. Chat must not have thought Zoroark would do that._ "He didn't…"

"He didn't kill it, no. But…" Marinette drilled her gaze into Juleka, hoping that she wasn't going to say what she suspected. "But Chat stopped him. I don't know how far Zoroark would have taken it if he hadn't."

The room was quiet. Chat's trembling voice broke the silence. "He didn't even… didn't even feel bad."

"Chat…" Juleka said.

"He was guilty when he snapped at me but that was because I surprised him and he was just acting. He felt bad for snapping at me, but not for what he did to the houndoom. He's… I didn't… I didn't think he _could_ …"

"Zoroark isn't a bad pokémon, Chat. He's had bad experiences, and he was just acting how he learned was best."

"He knows that wasn't best."

"Chat. He wouldn't-"

"He _didn't_. He let us fight the megas fair until I got hurt! But then he just… He _knows_ it was bad. He does. He just doesn't care."

"That's not true. You know-"

"I know he feels bad because I'm upset. He doesn't care about the houndoom. He doesn't care about what we're trying to do in the first place! And he's… capable of just…"

Juleka shushed him. Next to her, Roserade let out a pleasant fragrance that calmed Marinette considerably. "What's wrong, Chat?"

Chat trembled. Marinette noticed that his pokéballs were all scattered on a small dresser, blocked from his vision by Juleka. His voice came out tiny and defeated. "I-I'm scared."

"That's normal."

"Not _for_ him. I'm scared _of_ him, Jules."


	25. Where Do We Go

Adrien knew it was stupid. He _knew_ , but his emotions didn't care what his brain said. He was scared. He couldn't even look at Rocco.

But he loved him.

But Rocco could put people through unimaginable pain.

 _But he's_ Rocco _._

 _Exactly, he was abused. He has a different moral compass than you._

 _But he'd never do that to me._

 _How do you know? And does it matter, if he's still willing to do it?_

 _It's not his fault, you can't treat him differently because of this._

 _But he knew what he was doing. He just doesn't think it's that bad._

 _So teach him._

 _He's hopeless._

"Adrien, stop. I can practically hear you overthinking this," Juleka said.

It was fine. It _should_ have been fine. Adrien knew that, but still he had an empty feeling in his chest and he felt nauseous and everything felt like it was crumbling apart like the cookies from Marinette's bakery that Rocco really liked. He wanted to just close his eyes and hide under a warm blanket and never come back out.

"You knew Rocco is strong."

Adrien wanted to reach into his own stomach and twist up his own insides. _I did know. I knew and it didn't bother me until now and it's not fair to him but I can't help it._

"Did you know a zoroark's powers could be used like that?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I… theoretically? I'd never heard of that actually happening, though. It… makes sense. I should have realized."

"Adrien…"

"Think about it, Jules. When he pretended to be human. We touched him all the time. What did he feel like?"

Juleka's eyes widened. "Oh. That actually…"

"Yeah. We never felt fur. His body _felt_ human, even down to the softest touches with a finger. It should have been obvious."

"He's been getting better with the visual illusion, too."

Adrien nodded. "When he first started doing it, I didn't notice because I didn't expect it, but when he was doing it just to hang out, you could definitely see that it's not the clearest image."

"Kind of fuzzy. Little details just… missing."

"Exactly. He didn't focus on visual illusions, so that was more difficult for him. But even from the beginning… I _held hands_ with him all the time, but it never occurred to me to question why I felt fingers instead of claws."

Juleka shook her head. "So you didn't realize that Rocco specialized in touch. That doesn't mean anything."

"If I had realized, maybe this wouldn't have caught me by surprise. Maybe I could have… I don't know, talked to him about it." Adrien rested his chin on his knees, wrapping his arms around his legs to hold them close. "It's my own fault. I was purposefully ignorant and ignored what was right in front of me. Now I can't ignore it anymore and I can't handle it."

"It's not your fault, Adrien."

Adrien didn't reply, he just ducked his head, touching his forehead to his knees instead of his chin, and sighed.

He couldn't explain it, not really. He felt like Nino had just taken out his noivern and sent him the way of Old Yeller. He couldn't conflate what he saw and what he knew about Rocco and even though it _made sense_ , he still couldn't believe that Rocco would ever do something like that. And when he looked at Rocco, all he could see was his furious snarl and the houndoom on the burning asphalt.

Rose and Ladybug walked in. Juleka explained the situation to them. He didn't like telling them, but Ladybug needed to know why he was so upset, and there was no other way to explain it without the full story. Luckily, the only other person who knew even part of the story was Nino, so Ladybug wouldn't get angry at him for accidentally revealing his identity.

Not that he particularly cared.

But Juleka retelling the story just made it seem so obvious how dangerous Rocco really was. He never went to a rehabilitation clinic (not that Adrien had a particularly positive view of the rehabilitation center after visiting it during the Aggron incident. The scant cages and bare metal bars were almost exactly like how he pictured the holding pens that the ring fighters used), he didn't even have another trainer before Adrien. He didn't trust humans at all before Adrien became his friend.

Adrien knew, on some level, that Rocco was broken the entire time. And he naïvely thought that showering him with love and smiles would somehow fix everything.

 _I'm such an idiot. He even pretends to be human! And you know there's more to it than him just being a trickster. You talked to Juleka about this last week!_

 _I should have taken him to a professional. It's my own fault._ As Adrien searched inward, reaching into the chilling, gnawing guilt and fear inside him, he realized why it hurt so much. _I've been scared of him the entire time. Since he first told me. I didn't want him to think that I saw anything wrong with him because I was scared he'd lash out at me. So I convinced myself there was nothing to worry about by ignoring what was right in front of my damn face._

"He didn't kill it, no. But…" _Kill. Rocco was a kill switch. He couldn't lose, because he could hurt worse than death without lifting a finger._ "But Chat stopped him. I don't know how far Zoroark would have taken it if he hadn't." _Would he have?_ Could _he have?_

Adrien felt like vomiting when he realized that, in his mind at least, Rocco very much would have killed the houndoom without his interference. "He didn't even… didn't even feel bad." Adrien looked into Rocco's eyes when it happened, he knew. He saw a range of emotions – anger, worry, guilt even – but none of them were for the houndoom.

"Chat…"

"He was guilty when he snapped at me but that was because I surprised him and he was just acting. He felt bad for snapping at me, but not for what he did to the houndoom. He's… I didn't… I didn't think he _could_ …"

"Zoroark isn't a bad pokémon, Chat. He's had bad experiences, and he was just acting how he learned was best."

"He knows that wasn't best." _He does. He… he knew I wouldn't like it. But did he really know it wasn't okay?_

"Chat. He wouldn't-"

"He didn't. He let us fight the megas fair until I got hurt! But then he just… He knows it was bad. He does. He just doesn't care." _Because I wanted to. Because he knew that using his illusions would upset me so it was better to fight without them until…_

"That's not true. You know-"

"I know he feels bad because I'm upset. He doesn't care about the houndoom. He doesn't care about what we're trying to do in the first place! And he's… capable of just…" _He's not a bad pokémon. Juleka is right about that. No one could call Rocco bad. But he's… He doesn't have empathy. He doesn't even have sympathy. His "bad" isn't drawn by any moral standard. It's just what would upset me. And in a situation where my life in on the line…_

Adrien breathed deeply the scent of flowers and his mind cleared.

"What's wrong, Chat?"

"I-I'm scared."

Juleka smiled at him. "That's normal."

"Not _for_ him," Adrien said, though he was scared for Rocco too. "I'm scared _of_ him, Jules."

Juleka took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Oh, Chat…"

"Chat," Ladybug said, drawing everyone's undivided attention. "That's normal, too."

"You're not supposed to be afraid of your friends."

"Maybe not, but Zoroark clearly has some issues, and it's normal to be scared of a pokémon like that." Adrien sent her a sharp glare. Even in his state, he wouldn't just let anyone – even Ladybug – talk about Rocco like he was… _Broken. Like you just admitted he is._ He kept his gaze on her, but he knew the intensity had died. "I know that Zoroark is a good pokémon, Chat, I wasn't questioning that. I'm just saying that anyone, pokémon or human or whatever, if they go through something like that… they're going to need help. And sometimes that might mean he needs more than a friend."

"You're saying… he needs to see a therapist?"

Ladybug shrugged. "I think it would be a good idea. But I also think this isn't going to happen again." She looked over at the table behind Juleka that Adrien knew Rocco's pokéball was on. "I don't think he'd pull anything like that again after this. He loves you too much to upset you like this again. Even I could tell that much."

Adrien sighed, looking down again. And then he stood, moving over to the table and picking up Rocco's pokéball. _And I love him. I'm sorry, buddy. I'll… I'll try. Promise me that you will too, okay?_

* * *

When Adrien finally got home that day, no one was there to greet him. He just slipped quietly into his room like usual, making sure to put on a long sleeved shirt to cover his bandages. With an unsure grasp, he picked up his cat-eared hoodie, examining the sleeve. _Yeah, definitely not repairable._ With a grimace, he considered his options. He didn't actually have another one, and he was lucky enough to get it back at all after the abomasnow incident, but one of the sleeves having a huge burn hole in it wasn't something he could get around, and he wasn't sure how easily he could get a hold of another one.

With a sigh, he retired the hoodie to its hiding place, and fished his leather jacket out to replace it with. The lack of mobility was definitely not ideal, but it wouldn't be enough to seriously hurt him. It wasn't as if he _couldn't_ do his more acrobatic feats in it, after all, just that they were more difficult and uncomfortable.

Really he was just thanking Arceus that Marinette was making him another costume for his performance. _If I mess this one up, I'll be out of options. Well… I guess I could cut the sleeves off of the main one._

It was in the midst of his musing, though, that he received a text from Alya.

AC – hey there friend i am here 2 kinkshame you

Adrien smiled, shaking his head. _I wonder that that's about._

AA – don't kinkshame me. how dare.  
AC – its okay im kinkshaming myself 2 tbh  
AA – what is this about, exactly?  
AC – you being a major sub and swooning over warrior ladies  
AA – I was not aware that I was doing such a thing.  
AC – but you do not deny that you are sub af  
AA – I was not aware that our friendship had reached the point of talking about our kinks.  
AC – adrien baby im hurt  
AC – how could you say that  
AC – over text 2 you insensitive little prick  
AC – ive been friendzoned over text wtf  
AA – sorry you'll have to forgive the homeschooled kid. I don't know at what point in a friendship it's acceptable to kinkshame each other.  
AC – at our point this point  
AC – this 1 right here im making the executive decision  
AC – i mean if it really does make you uncom4table tell me im assuming were chill and this is a joke  
AA – we're chill. I was joking.  
AA – sort of.  
AA – truth be told, I seriously have no idea when it's acceptable and who we can talk to about this stuff but doing it with you doesn't make me uncomfortable, no.  
AC – aw 33333333  
AC – but back on topic you love them warrior ladies y/n  
AA – y.  
AC – knew it  
AA – if it helps, I'm pretty enamored with the warrior class in general.  
AA – I mean, it's much better than a mage, right?  
AA – mages are lame. they get cool powers sure but they're too reliant on them.  
AA – warriors are awesome just by being awesome no cheap powers required.  
AC – adrien  
AC – bby  
AC – omg  
AC – please tell me ur not actually that much of a nerd  
AC – actually no id like 2 continue believing ur just that innocent  
AA – sorry, yeah, that was just a really dumb way of saying that I'm bi.  
AA – I am both that much of a nerd and also not just that innocent.  
AC – dang  
AC – way 2 ruin my dreams agreste  
AA – ;3c  
AC – anyway domination kink confirmed thank you for this important info  
AA – that is kind of a non sequitur?  
AC – please if i pinned you to the lockers tomorrow you would turn 2 putty  
AA – I mean.  
AA – maybe.  
AA – but I think that would have much more to do with confusion and embarrassment than attraction.  
AC – are you saying im not attractive  
AA – no!  
AC – adrien how dare  
AC – im offended  
AA – that's not what I meant!  
AC – lol chill i know what you meant i just disagree  
AA – (thank arceus)  
AC – but seriously if anyone did that youd be mush admit it  
AA – I doubt it. I would mostly just question their purpose/sanity.  
AC – ok well if mari pins you against a wall 2morrow just know that im not calling you out at all  
AA – Marinette would be a totally different story.  
AA – shit I mean  
AA – I joke about this with Jules sometimes. don't you dare read into that.  
AC – keep digging agreste  
AA – Jules joked about setting me up with her a few times and I was playing along that's all.  
AC – mhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm  
AA – subtract at least 14 ms.  
AC – mhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm  
AA – thank you.  
AC – so im hearing  
AC – u often talk about dating my girl mari  
AA – no. it happened once or twice is all.  
AC – mhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm  
AA – I don't know what you're thinking but please don't.  
AC – oh im not thinking anything im just enjoying the show  
AA – you are always thinking something.  
AC – i mean id be lying if i said i wasnt imagining mari pinning you 2 the lockers and kissing you in2 a higher plane of existence  
AC – played out in front of a fancy waterfall of chloes tears  
AC – with her screams playing over the loudspeaker but toned down 2 like 4% volume  
AA – wtf  
AC – its basically just whats in my head 24/7 tbh  
AC – like if a psychic read my mind they would be so confused just like why is there so much screaming  
AC – and kissing  
AC – and why is everything wet  
AC – because sOME1 broke the waterfall  
AC – nino  
AC – dont ask how we dont talk about how he broke the chloes tears waterfall  
AA – I am intrigued but am also deciding that I do not want to know and want no part of it.  
AC – thats usually a pretty good position to have  
AC – ngl my crack ship is you and chat tho  
AA – omg why?  
AC – i mean he can pull off the black leather he could satisfy your domination kink  
AC – plus ur both stunningly attractive  
AC – not that adrichat could hold a candle to marichat  
AA – …  
AC – u heard me  
AC – u probs thought i was a ladynoir shipper didnt you  
AC – you thought wrong  
AA – I mean.  
AA – I did kind of think that, yes.  
AA – but also maybe don't ship real people?  
AC – maris my bff its chill  
AC – does it make you uncom4table?  
AA – a little.  
AC – then adrichat is ded  
AC – hope ur happy look at what youve done  
AC – long live marichat  
AC – and with that we can talk about something else  
AC – like ur crush on mari that you have apparently  
AA – I never said I have a crush on her.  
AC – but shes the only one you joke about dating  
AA – not true.  
AA – I also joke about dating Nino and Juleka and do I have crushes on them?  
AC – well jules maybe not  
AC – 4 the sake of the inevitable marriage btwn u me nino and mari i hope you do have a crush on ur future husband  
AA – that's fair. Nino would be the best husband.  
AC – 4 4 u agreste such humility  
AA – ?  
AC – ur the best husband obviously.  
AA – aw 3  
AC – nino is the music man. ur both stay at home dads  
AC – mostly nino has a few gigs sometimes but he keeps u company in the long hours of the day  
AC – but nino mainly ensures that our feng shui is on point  
AC – ur the one that peppers us with love and takes care of our 5 children while mari and i are making bank  
AA – five kids? and nino doesn't help me?  
AC – he helps but hes terrible with kids he just plays lullabies to make sure at least 1 is out of commission at any given time  
AC – and yes 5 3 from u and mari and 2 from me and nino  
AA – I think nino would be great with our kids.  
AC – see and thats why ur the best husband  
AC – so supportive and caring  
AA – I try.  
AC – besides nino doesnt need 2 be good with the kids hes taking care of the housekeeping so you can focus all ur attention on the suicidal flesh missiles  
AA – suicidal flesh missiles?  
AC – right ur an only child  
AC – dont worry about it youll do gr8  
AA – suddenly much less confident about that.  
AC – dont worry ur pretty head about it just look forward 2 the wedding you have 3 requests that you wont budge on  
AC – its obviously mostly maris thing but we all get 3 things each that no 1 dares interfere with  
AA – what if our requests contradict each other?  
AC – then we battle 1 of the uninvolved parties decides the competition and the other judges  
AA – you have this all planned out very well.  
AC – of course i do who do u think i am  
AA – well I'll get planning then. I wouldn't want to waste my three requests.  
AC – good call i already have mine planned out  
AA – do you?  
AC – yes but i cant tell you all of them  
AC – it will be better just trust ur future wife on this  
AA – okay, future wife. how could I possibly argue with that?  
AC – and thats why ur the best husband 33333333

Adrien couldn't help the smile on his face. He hesitantly took his pokéballs out of his pocket, placing them one by one on his desk. He hesitated with Rocco's pokéball, staring at it as he drifted into thought. _Is it weird that I always pictured Rocco with me when I have kids? I always kind of thought he'd be good with them, but…_ Adrien shook his head violently, placing the ball down. _He would be good with kids. You know he would. But… after today…_

 _Maybe we do need to do something before that time comes. I can't just pretend that he's okay when he can do that to another pokémon. But… someday… I think I would like him there._

 _After all, with five kids, I'll need a few more hands, right?_

Adrien smiled at the pokéball and turned to lay on his bed. He did hesitate, reaching for the pokéball, but he couldn't bring himself to open it. _Not yet. Soon. I'll keep trying, though._

 _Sorry, buddy._


	26. Prism

Marinette thought she was getting pretty good at "just rolling with it". Chat Noir wants her to design his stage outfit? Okay, great. Aggron destroys the school – and the first of many shenanigans that locked her into being a superhero vigilante? Yeah, alright. Teaming up with Chat Noir to fight the continuing mega problem? Sure, can do. Rose – of all people - saves her life and (though this is entirely her own fault) learns her identity? Why not. _Wynaut,_ Marinette thought, correcting herself and letting herself giggle at the pun.

So when she realized suddenly that the entire incident with the manectric was televised? Well, she was ready for anything, at that point.

 _"Only Rose and Juleka will know" you thought. "Only they'd know that Ladybug got bit". Yeah, right. Television called. You forgot about modern technology. Thanks Devon._

 _Was it Devon who made the television? I don't know, maybe it was Silph. Probably Devon, though. Freaking Devon._

Luckily, though, Marinette had that particular revelation on her walk back home, so she was preparing herself to have a long conversation with her parents when they saw her arm.

She did not expect them to be waiting for her when she walked through the door. _This is an intervention if I've ever seen one._

Marinette didn't know how they had figured it out without seeing her first, but she just sighed and sat down in a chair in the living room, pinned as she was under both her parents' gazes.

"Marinette," her mother began carefully. "What happened to your arm, Dear?"

Marinette gave them a flat look. There was a small bubble of hope in her chest that her parents didn't actually know that she was going out as Ladybug, but due to the fact that they were waiting for her, watching her carefully and seriously, and she was planning on them finding out anyway, she was just about done with trying to pretend.

Besides, if anyone was going to recognize her pokémon through the television, it would be her parents. "A mega manectric took a bite out of me," Marinette said flatly.

Both of her parents raised their eyebrows, and exchanged a look before her father replied. "Where did you get the Mega Stone?"

"No clue. It appeared in my bag one day – the day I visited the PR Studio. You know. My first meeting with Chat." The look that her parents exchanged was clear enough to her. "He didn't give it to me. He got one too, and also has no clue where it came from."

"And why doesn't he use it?"

"He can't. We've been training, but we haven't figured out what he's doing wrong yet."

"And do you even know who he is?"

Marinette hesitated. It definitely wouldn't please her parents to know that she didn't know his identity, but she came this far without lying. She figured that if they weren't upset already, what did this matter?

She shrugged. "He's Chat Noir. He's Juleka's close friend. I don't need to know his given name."

Her father frowned. "Who knows?"

"About me, or him?"

"Both."

"Rose and Juleka. Respectively. Though Juleka will find out about me soon enough." Marinette lifted her arm pointedly. "No sense making Rose hide this from her girlfriend since I know Jules can be trusted. For everyone else, I'm still thinking of how to hide this."

Her mother reached out and took her hand. "Why hide it?"

"I said on the Ladyblog. I don't want this to interfere with my life if I can help it."

"Then why do it at all?"

"Someone has to. If not me, then who?" Marinette met her parents' eyes. "I have mega evolution. Mawile is strong enough to subdue these pokémon. If I don't, then there'd only be more destruction."

"You could get hurt."

Marinette closed her eyes, watching in vivid detail a charging aggron, Zoroark getting slammed into Mawile, and the manectric's sparking fangs. "I know. I have gotten hurt. I'm not changing my mind."

She opened her eyes, but her parents weren't looking at her. They seemed to be having a silent argument that went on for a long minute before her mother turned to her. "Go to your room, Marinette. Your father and I are going to talk about this."

"Of course."

Marinette climbed the stairs, each step taking another chink out of her façade. By the time she clambered into her room, she was already beginning to freak out.

She walked purposefully to her chaise and dived face-first into it. When she heard Bisharp come out of his pokéball, she didn't need to look up to confirm that it was him, nor to figure out what he would say about the situation. " _You were mature and honest with them, Marinette". "You're an adult anyway, Marinette"._

Marinette lifted up from the chaise long enough to give Bisharp a look that told him just what she thought about that sentiment.

Though if she were perfectly honest, she was much more concerned with her classmates. There was still school the next day, and she'd need a cover story. Her parents were reasonable. They'd undoubtedly disapprove, but acknowledge what she was doing and respect that she was capable of her own decisions. Her classmates, though… well… it was hit and miss. She definitely saw that some of them would be cool about it – Rose and Juleka for instance – but others were potentially problematic. Namely, Chloé and Adrien, for the exact opposite reasons.

Marinette groaned audibly into the cushions, earning a nudge from Bisharp. She flipped over onto her back to look up at him. "I forgot about Adrien."

Bisharp just tilted his head.

"It's a problem, dummy, because what do I do with this?" She gestured with disdain at her injured arm. "I can't let him know that I'm Ladybug!"

Bisharp blinked, staring blankly at her.

"Because! Do you have any idea how embarrassing that would be?!"

Bisharp burst into laughter.

"It's not funny!"

He moved to grab one of the pictures of Adrien that she had and, with an unapologetic smirk on his face, he brought it close to her, shoving it into her face.

She swatted it away. "Stop it! It's not funny, and we're not going to _kiss_ , sweet Arceus. Why would you even think that?"

Bisharp laughed again.

Though he didn't indicate his thought process any more clearly, Marinette realized suddenly what he meant, and felt herself flush at the thought. "Ew, Bisharp, don't. _Adrien_ would not be attracted to Ladybug."

Bisharp threw his hands up in a shrug, very clearly telling her, _you don't know that._

"I can't believe you would even suggest that he has a dominance kink."

Bisharp laughed even harder, pointing to her. _Your words, not mine._

"Don't pretend that's not what you were thinking." Bisharp smiled and shrugged, making no effort to deny it. "And even if he did, Adrien would not- wait." Marinette thought about it, felt appalled with herself for thinking about it, and practically melted when she came to a conclusion. "Okay, maybe he would be the submissive one. But that means nothing."

Bisharp sent her a look that she read as, _Adrien is a total sub and you know it._ She chose to believe that she misread his expression, and to never mention it ever.

Marinette was tempted to roll over and shove her face in the chaise again, because she knew that those thoughts about Adrien were totally her own fault. Yes, Bisharp was thinking it, but it was still her own words.

But she realized, laying there with Bisharp grinning suggestively at her, that he did cheer her up and calm her down all at once. She felt okay. So she bantered with Bisharp a little more until her phone chimed, signaling a text message. She took a quick glance before unlocking it to see that it was from Alya.

A – girl did u see rose  
A – ?  
A – who knew she had it in her that was amAZING  
M – Yeah! Rose was awesome today!  
A – i need fanart  
A – do you think i can commission nath  
M – I don't know, maybe ask him?  
A – im gonna  
A – also juleka like wow  
A – she wasnt as big in the fight as rose was but she saved chats fine butt i gotta say  
A – i can only dream of landing a girl as badass as those 2  
A – *swoons*  
M – What, I'm not enough for you?  
A – girl i love you  
A – you know this  
A – and even tho your team is scary as heck lets be real youre like cavity inducing sweet  
M – *cough*Rose*cough*  
A – a fair and valid point  
A – previous statement redacted i need no other woman youre the whole package  
A – anyway whats up  
M – I'm in pain.  
A – ? wherefore art thou in pain  
A – channeling my inner thespian adrien is so proud  
M – Speak of the devil…  
A – adrien  
A – did he do something do I need to kick his fine thespian butt  
M – No, I just remembered that he exists.  
A – i feel you  
M – Bisharp is trying to convince me that he's a sub with a dominance kink.  
A – i mean  
A – im not gonna disagree  
M – Though if that were true, that doesn't bode well for me.  
A – would if you'd actually talk to him  
A – i mean just pin him against the lockers I guarantee you he's 100% yours  
A – or like the wall or something no lockers in freaking prism tower  
M – No! I can't just do that!  
A – i mean  
M – I would actually die.  
A – so would he  
M – You're terrible. Why are we friends?  
A – because you love me  
M – This is true.  
A – anyway so literally sweeping him off his feet is a bit much for your fragile heart to handle  
M – Yes.  
A – i bet bisharp would do it  
M – That's quite literally dangerous.  
A – mawile would do it  
M – I'm pretty sure she's a little small for that.  
A – pls like she couldn't lift Adrien he must weigh like 5 pounds max  
A – but you seriously dont have any other pokémon do you  
A – ralts would do it but then hed probably drop him  
A – misdreavus would do it  
M – I don't think a Psychic has quite the same effect.  
A – idk you dont know what kinda kinky stuff hes in2  
M – Alya please.  
A – alright fine  
A – so what are you going 2 do about your little sub  
M – ALYA.  
A – so what are you going 2 do about our little sub  
M – THAT WASN'T THE PROBLEM WORD IN THAT SENTENCE ALYA  
A – so what are you going 2 do about our sub  
M – I'm going to cry.  
A – that's definitely 1 approach tho if you intend 2 woo him id suggest Domin8ing Him  
M – This joke has worn out its welcome.  
A – pls i will never get tired of this  
A – seriously tho  
A – pro tip talking

"Marinette!" Marinette jumped at her mother's voice.

M – I have to go. I'll text you later.  
A – see you darling 3 im gonna go kinkshame adrien

Marinette smiled, shook her head, and left her phone on the chaise as she stood and began her descent to the living room. When the room in question came into view, she saw her parents both seated like they were before, waiting patiently for her.

"Marinette," her mother said gently. Marinette took a seat, letting out a sigh.

"Yes?"

"It was irresponsible of you not to let anyone know what you were doing."

Marinette shrugged. _Maybe. Seemed like the best option, though._

"Please call us if you ever get hurt like that again. And be careful, sweetie."

Her eyes snapped to her mother's. _That sounded suspiciously like approval._ The odd glint in her mother's eyes seemed to confirm the sentiment, but Marinette was still wary. Sure, she knew her parents would be relatively mature about it, but she did expect some opposition.

Her father spoke up in her silence. "I don't like you running around with some strange boy, but we're proud of you. And we know there's no stopping you with this."

Marinette's jaw dropped. "Uh."

Her mother hit her father's shoulder gently. "Chat Noir is a very nice boy."

"I'm her father. I don't trust boys on principle."

Her mother laughed, and her father along with her. That told Marinette that he wasn't totally serious about Chat, but still, she gaped at them. "Chat- No. No, no, no, not Chat. Arceus."

Her parents just laughed louder.

"What?"

They just gave her knowing looks and stood. She followed suit, going in for the family hug and letting everything but an amused smile drop from her face. "We love you." Both of her parents echoed the sentiment. As did Marinette.

* * *

She did not, in the end, have a plan. When she approached Prism Tower the next day for school, she did so with dread, anxiety, and a sweater.

And she was headed off by Rose. Juleka was talking to Adrien closer to the doors, but Rose came over to catch her before she got too close. "Marinette! Thank goodness." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she fell in line next to Marinette. "I understand why you hide your identity now. People have been all over me! Even-" She looked around like she expected someone to come up behind her and push her down. "Even _Chloé_ complimented me. It's so weird!"

Marinette gave her a sympathetic smile. "Well, it was televised. And you did save Ladybug's life."

"Oh! Speaking of." Marinette smiled when Rose flushed, and decided to let the other girl change the subject. "You should talk to Alya. She's been asking me to set up an interview with Ladybug."

"Does she know that you-"

"No, she just assumed I'd be able to contact you. I told her I couldn't, but…"

Marinette nodded. "Right. Thank you. For keeping it secret."

"Of course! Especially after this morning, I wouldn't want to make you go through this if you didn't want to!"

As if to prove her point, Alix passed them by, slapping Rose on the shoulder (a little too hard, making Rose stumble) saying, "Didn't know you had it in you, girl! You were so cool yesterday." Before continuing on her way to Prism Tower.

Marinette laughed awkwardly, eliciting a similar response in Rose. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help with that."

Rose just grimaced. "It's okay. Juleka helps if I really need it. Just maybe don't tell Alya in your interview that I know you."

"I wouldn't do that to you."

"By the way, are you feeling okay? How are your cuts?"

Marinette started to roll her shoulders, stopping short at the pain shooting through her. "Better if I don't move. I can kind of ignore it if I'm not agitating it."

"I can try to keep people from touching you, when I'm nearby. And Juleka could help too, though I'd have to think of what to tell her…"

Marinette sighed. "That would help so much. And you can just tell Juleka the truth. I trust her."

Rose shined as she straightened at that. "Really? I can tell her?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't ask you to keep a secret from her."

"Oh, thank you! I hated being so cagey with her!"

Rose ran off to Juleka, and after Adrien waved goodbye and entered the tower with Nino, she whispered into her girlfriend's ear. Juleka's eyes went wide, and flicked over to Marinette, and then she adopted possibly the most amused smirk Marinette had ever seen on her face. _What is that supposed to mean?_ Returning the smirk, Marinette followed Rose to Juleka's side.

"So. Rose told me something pretty interesting," Juleka said.

"I'm sure."

"How are your injuries?"

"As good as wounds can be, I suppose. How about Chat's?"

"Still hurts. Even with treatment, Houndoom toxin isn't pleasant. It's not interfering with his life, though."

"And Zoroark?"

"I don't think Chat has even let him out of the pokéball yet."

Marinette frowned at that. _It's not your issue. Let Chat work through it._ "I see."

Juleka's gaze softened. "It's only been one night. He'll be fine." With a sigh, Marinette admitted that Juleka was right. "By the way, how are you? Like, not just physically."

Marinette furrowed her brow. "Fine… why?"

She exchanged a look with Rose. "That scene with Houndoom… well… I like scary stuff, but that even gave me nightmares."

"I couldn't sleep at all last night," Rose said.

Marinette bit her lip. She would be lying if she said she didn't have nightmares about it. Mostly, for her, it was Aggron, but she had, soon after the respective fights, dreamt of falling and drowning. But the previous night she slept through the night without dreaming. _I usually do the night after, though. I'm probably too tired to dream about it._ "Oh. Well… it's been a few weeks. I'm kind of used to it now."

One look at their faces and Marinette knew her answer was anything but satisfactory. Still, she didn't elaborate on what exactly she was used to. She knew how bad it would sound to tell them that she had grown accustomed to waking in the dead of night – waking up Ralts in the process – and having Bisharp calm them both down before drifting off into a fitful nap for the last hour or so before she had to get up for the day.

She much preferred to say that she was used to the fighting, used to running into danger and combatting wild mega pokémon. But she didn't like to lie, so she let it stay implied.


	27. The Arena

Rocco's therapist said she'd never seen a case quite like him. The violent protectiveness over Adrien, she said, was fairly normal. The "identity fraud" and fluent speech was not. She mentioned how interesting it was for her to be able to talk to a pokémon like a human, rather than the sort of charades she was more used to.

The only real new thing she pointed out to Adrien was that Rocco likely didn't think about what he was doing to the houndoom because the houndoom was a pokémon. She told him that Rocco's tendency to portray as human might have been an attempt to change his status in the caste system the ring fighters had instilled into him, where humans are on top and pokémon are just tools. Adrien shivered at the prospect of a self-hating pokémon. He hated himself plenty of times. For things he'd done, didn't do, or thought about, but he knew that wasn't the same.

He had also hated himself, at one point, for being bisexual, and Adrien used that to gain some perspective on Rocco's situation. _He was told that he was lesser, just like I learned that the community is "lesser". He's fighting off the same kind of self-rejection that I did. Only Juleka really helped me with that. Is there anything I can do for him?_

Rocco didn't seem to mind the therapy sessions, but he shifted uncomfortably the entire time Adrien was present, casting guilty glances at him while Adrien did his best to try and act normal. He knew he failed horribly. He sat way too far away, jumped at the slightest touch, and looked away for most of the meeting.

The therapist told him that everything she mentioned was just theories, and that she'd need more meetings to figure out exactly how she could help Rocco.

She also recommended that he have sessions himself. Adrien probably would have agreed if he wasn't terrified of it getting out that Adrien Agreste went to therapy. His father would kill him. _How would that look for the company?_ Still, he considered it, and considered it something that would do him good. He wouldn't go then, maybe not even soon, but Adrien did end up looking into other therapists in Central Lumiose.

But, upon Adrien's request and the therapist's belated agreement, she treated Rocco with all the rights of any human patient, and so Adrien sat out for the majority of the sessions. Everything that was shared with him was done, he was told, at Rocco's request.

And Adrien was proud of him. He wasn't sure whether Rocco was really serious about it, or if he was just going because Adrien wanted him too, but Adrien could tell that he was putting in effort. Both sessions so far had him leaving the office smiling and considerably more relaxed. And Rocco's mood affected Adrien's, too, and Adrien could almost face him again.

But though he didn't attend therapy sessions himself, he did talk everything through with Juleka.

And when Rocco greeted him after the second therapy session, Adrien couldn't take the separation anymore.

"I'm sorry," he said, his stare fixed firmly on the ground. Rocco signed his own apologies for the umpteenth time that week. "No, Rocco, I'm so, so sorry. I- I…" Rocco tilted his head, silently questioning him. "I miss you."

"I'm here," he signed.

"I miss being your friend." Adrien realized just how much he meant it only as he said it, his hands unconsciously signing his words as he said them. Rocco was the one he learned sign language with. Rocco was the one he got into trouble with, the one he cuddled with, the one he stayed up late hours to talk with (sometimes accompanied by Plagg and Tikki). Rocco was the one who was always right next to him, holding his hand or giving him a hug or bringing him snacks when he wasn't supposed to.

He was a staple in Adrien's life, and he couldn't imagine losing him.

"You'll always be my friend."

If Adrien cried a little, well, he didn't exactly have a good track record for not crying since Chat Noir became a superhero. He took Rocco's hand and just held it for a few minutes, fighting off his own tears and trying to silently reassure himself that it was still the same as the week before, and the week before, and they were still buddies and Rocco was trying and so was he and they were working together and so there was no need to be afraid.

Rocco never touched him more than Adrien initiated, and he appreciated it. They both knew it would be a process, but they both had their paths and they both wanted to go down them together.

"I love you, buddy."

Rocco smiled and signed, "I love you."

Adrien cried a little more, and he wasn't even a little bit embarrassed. They told each other how much they loved each other all the time, but sitting in the warm lobby and holding hands, that was the first time it felt less like a declaration and more like a promise. The unspoken "always" hung thick in the air, and Adrien grinned and chuckled because he knew how terrible he looked but he couldn't bring himself to care.

That night, Adrien set up a movie and pulled the furniture around in his room a little so that he could build a big fort with easy view of the television. Tikki helped him a little, and Plagg fetched snacks (half of which he ate himself before Adrien and Tikki finished setting up everything) and after thanking them, they both returned to their pokéballs for the night.

Because that night it was going to be just Adrien and Rocco.

He let Rocco out, watching was Rocco's expression morphed slowly from hope, to confusion, to hope again, and after a glance at Adrien, elation. Adrien directed him to the fluffiest and most comfortable spot in the fort (mindful, of course, of Rocco's injuries) and pulled all their snacks under the canopy of sheets with him when he collapsed next to his friend. He then grabbed the remote and started the film, one he knew to be Rocco's favorite.

They sat quietly for a long time, and while it wasn't normal, it was comfortable, and Adrien was happy, and Rocco was smiling. "Hey, Rocco…" he said. Rocco looked at him expectantly. "I'm sorry. For being weird. For the whole therapy thing. I know you probably don't want to-"

Adrien stopped talking when Rocco reached over and held his hands still. He hadn't even realized he was signing as he spoke. Rocco smiled. "I like therapy." He bit his lip for a long moment, and Adrien stayed quiet through his relief at Rocco's words because he knew that Rocco had more to say. "Thank you for letting me stay."

All at once, Adrien's heart broke. He'd lost count of how many times it had, but looking at Rocco – who legitimately thought that Adrien would just leave him after what he did to the houndoom – he felt his chest tighten and his eyes water and his gut turn into a void. "Rocco." Adrien looked at him seriously, meeting his eyes and holding his gaze. "What happened… you scared me. Do you understand why?" Rocco nodded. "But just because I'm scared… I'd never give you up, buddy. Never."

Adrien leaned in, pressing his cheek to Rocco's. His heart sped up knowing that Rocco's sharp teeth (despite them being disguised under his illusion) were millimeters from his ear, but he resolved not to let it bother him. It was Rocco. If Adrien could be brave for Lumiose City, he could be brave for his best friend.

And Rocco just nuzzled into him. Adrien could feel the grin on his face, and his soft, steady breathing in his ear, but there was none of the pain or anger that Adrien knew he was irrationally afraid of. It was an exercise of trust. Adrien let himself get close to Rocco all over again, knowing better what he was getting into this time around. And Rocco accepted his trust with gratitude, proved that it wouldn't be unfounded and gave him as much in return as Adrien would accept.

It was new, again, but also familiar. It was a start.

* * *

Adrien arrived at school the next day content and exhausted. He woke up with Rocco next to him and in his tired state, everything seemed just as it always had. He had accepted it for what it was and didn't spare a second thought. Basically, he wasn't afraid.

Even though seeing Rocco later, after he had showered, brought back the nerves and awkwardness, there was that moment, that reminder, that it was possible to be okay again. Adrien held onto that and carried it with him all through his day.

Well, at least until Alya grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall, planting one hand next to his head as she leaned in close with a smirk. Then, he had something entirely different on his mind.

"Told you, Agreste," she said. Adrien felt himself flush involuntarily when he remembered what her purpose was, but he kept his cool otherwise.

"Alya! Wh- what are you doing?" Marinette squeaked from the side, but Adrien kept his eyes locked on Alya's.

"Proving a point." Alya laughed and backed off. "Not as bad as I thought you'd be, Agreste, but I saw you blush."

"Alya!"

She winked at him. "Tell the truth, Agreste. I totally could have kissed you."

Adrien just shook his head in exasperation. Between the heart attack of her sudden move and being pinned like that with her looking at him so… _suggestively_ , he needed a break. _This_ is _the break. And it's great._

"Alya, that isn't funny!"

"Okay but how about this? I disagree. Answer Agreste, you can't get out of this one. It's for science."

Adrien took a deep breath and nodded, which made Marinette squeal. "I mean," he said, "you are my future wife, right? You don't need to push me against a wall to get a kiss." He winked back, which sent Alya into a fit of laughter. He was pretty sure his face was as red as Marinette's, but he thought he pulled through with his comeback.

"Maybe not, but it's more fun that way." With one last wink, Alya spun on her heel, Marinette sputtering after her as she walked away.

Nino coughed purposefully. "Future wife? Dude."

Adrien smiled and shook his head. "Alya told me last night. We're all getting married and I don't have a choice in the matter."

Nino chuckled. "Oh. Yeah, I was wondering when she'd propose to you." Adrien just hummed in response. "You really would have let her kiss you, wouldn't you?"

Adrien grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean; I wouldn't invite her to."

"Oh Arceus, she was right about your dominance kink."

"It's not like that! It's just… if I had to kiss someone she wouldn't be the worst, right?"

"Sure. I bet I could do the same thing and it'd work."

"You're also my future husband. Of course it would."

Nino chuckled and considered that. "Alix."

Adrien placed a hand over his heart with as much flair as he could muster. "You got me."

"I knew it."

"Give me some credit though. Not everyone could do it." _Ladybug didn't. Sort of. She is super attractive but I was still capable of speech when she pinned me to the wall that one time._

 _Of course I was also upset, so maybe that doesn't really count._

"Really? Like who?"

"Chloé's been trying for years."

"Yeah, but that's Chloé. She's an outlier."

Adrien shook his head, grinning. "Well, now that that experience is over, we don't want to be late." He began walking towards where the desks were set up, with Nino following at his side.

He caught sight of Marinette and Alya as he approached the desks, and chuckled lightly when he saw Marinette's cheeks turn pink after she noticed him. He felt a little guilty at that. Even though she wasn't around for it, he did joke about dating her quite a bit, and he felt bad because it was fairly obvious that she had a crush on him.

In another time, he might have followed up on that. He might have explored where it might have gone, because he was telling the truth – he thought Marinette was great, and he could definitely see a potential there, but he knew he couldn't.

With everything going on in Lumiose, with Rocco, with the Showcase quickly approaching and him still only partially through choreographing the performance, he knew he wasn't in the right place to add a girlfriend to the mix. He just wasn't ready.

So he just tried to ignore Marinette's crush, at least until he was better prepared to handle it.

What he couldn't ignore, though, was the lesson. He had been distracted enough in class as it was. He needed to pay attention if he was going to maintain his grades.

 _Then again… There's only two weeks left before the showcase. Will it be okay with only Tikki and Plagg? Maybe Allie could participate? She's just about old enough. I'm a little worried about putting her on such a big stage though, she's only even been in a few performances so far. It's probably better to stick with more experienced pokémon._

 _Speaking of. I wonder if any of my fans will be disappointed that Rocco won't be performing. At the rate I'm going though, I'm not even sure_ I _will. Arceus, I really need to stop getting hurt. The arm should heal by the performance, at least enough to perform, but if I get hurt again… the time I have to recover is only getting smaller._

When classes ended, Adrien had actually managed to pay attention to most of the content. His notes were filled with little diagrams of choreography – carefully hidden from Nino, of course – and once free he headed directly to the PR Studio. Juleka was busy, and didn't go with him, but he figured that was just as well. _I have someone else to help me._ Finding his studio, he quickly changed into his gym clothes and let his pokémon out. "Alright!" With a short clap, he addressed his pokémon. "Tikki, Plagg, you know what to do. The big showcase is in two weeks, so we need to wrap up choreography as soon as possible with the hero-ing taking up so much of our time. My notes from class have a few ideas on them, we'll go through what we have once, and then review them and work on getting the rest of this performance done.

"Allie," Adrien bent down to get to a closer level as his eevee, "this is a big show, so some of the things we'll be doing is a little difficult. That's why you won't be on stage, but I still want you watching closely, okay?" The little eevee yipped energetically and danced on her paws, sitting roughly and pointedly paying close attention to him. He chuckled, turning to Rocco. He hesitated a single moment, and shook his head. "And buddy, I'm sorry you won't be healed enough to perform in the showcase."

"You've said that before," Rocco signed.

"But you're still going to help me make this the best showcase we've ever had, right?"

Rocco grinned and barked in confirmation.

"Since Jules isn't here, you can be our judge." The two smiled at each other and Adrien backed off to the center of the room, where Plagg and Tikki were waiting. "And while we go through this, take a look at those notes. There's a bunch of options. I especially like the one on the back of my History worksheet. See if you don't get any ideas."

Rocco nodded, and Adrien pulled out his phone, moving back to the bench to hand it off to Rocco and retreating to his starting position once more. "Ready buddy?" Rocco nodded. "Ready guys?" He looked over his shoulders to get the affirmative from Tikki and Plagg. "Then let's get it started." With a big smile, Adrien signaled Rocco to start the music.

After a quick moment to remind himself to bring his portable speaker the next time ( _I always forget that._ ), he started tapping his foot with the beat. Right on cue, he leaped into his performance.

And then there was no Adrien Agreste, there wasn't even a Chat Noir. There were no harsh reminders of Rocco's past or his own or anyone else's. There were no threats except a tumble after a misstep. And with no mega pokemon, no heroism, no fame, no moral quandaries, no relationships except the one between him, his dance partners (Tikki and Plagg) and the music, it was easy to forget that things weren't always so simple.

But then it died down. As always. Or in that case, because the performance was unfinished, it was cut short. Even still, Adrien was riding high, and when he turned to Rocco to confer about the next step, the gleaming eyes that met his only made his smile grow.


	28. One More Time With Feeling

Marinette had no idea how she managed it. Then again, it had only been a few days. But, aside from Rose and Juleka and her parents, no one had any idea she was Ladybug.

And Marinette wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. _I don't even know where I'm going as is. Replacing who I am with this… I mean, who is Ladybug to me, anyway?_

 _Arceus, I've had too much time to think. Just work, Marinette. Just work. Don't think about that. No one knows. No one will know. Rose and Juleka are cool about it and your parents knowing will only be good since who knows how hurt you'll get next time._ She shuddered involuntarily, nearly dropping the needle in her hand. _No. You're not getting hurt next time. Neither is Chat. Definitely not him._

It wasn't the first time the thought of Chat getting hurt bothered her. As a matter of fact, she worried after his health constantly, and not always strictly in terms of their superhero jobs. The number of times she caught herself idly wondering if he had eaten enough that day, or if he was getting enough sleep, was, in her mind, quite frankly embarrassing. But that never bothered her. She would never in a million years admit it, but it didn't bother her.

It only began bothering her as the showcase deadline drew nearer. As his stage outfit neared completion. _You're friends. It's natural to worry about him. Especially with the stunts he pulls. I mean, it was what, the second time you met him that he was falling from eighty meters up? You've never known him when he wasn't in danger. So of course you're worried._

 _Or is that reason not to worry?_

 _Arceus, I wish I could shut up my brain._ Marinette continued her perusal of her work, checking over the outfit for what had to have been near the thousandth time. _Also, just admit that you're done. You're going to hurt yourself if you stare at this any longer._ With a groan, she threw a sheet over the mannequin holding the top of the stage outfit, resolving to do something else with her time. _Chat's old hoodie got burnt, right? I wonder if he has an extra. Not that leather one, that's not good to fight in if he needs to. Eh, sewing some ears onto a black hoodie will distract me for like twenty minutes at least. It's something._

 _But just making a whole new hoodie will take much more time, and it's not like I don't have the fabric, or his measurements… Maybe later. I'll cut the ears, prepare them for attachment. And then, if I have much time and fabric after I'm done making Alya and I our complimentary hoodies, I'll make one for Chat. If not, I'll just buy a hoodie for him and put the ears on it._

 _Speaking of. Ladybug spots. Got to figure out where they need to go. The fabric I have has them all evenly spaced, but we can't have the spots like, right over her nipples. That'd be bad. Her boobs are bigger than mine so the spacing is going to be different, I'll have to be careful with that. Oh man, my Ladybug jacket has holes in it, doesn't it? Did I fix those? Can I even fix those?_ She flexed her arm and winced in pain. _Right, the sleeve. Same problem as Chat, I suppose. No fixing that. I should still have the pattern… Do I have a zipper?_

Bisharp's cold, gentle grip stopped her hands and her thoughts. He guided her to her chaise, moving the fabric strewn haphazardly across it onto the floor so she would have room to lay down (though she only sat, despite that). Marinette shook her head. When Bisharp stopped her work, she just let him at that point. She knew how she could get, and trusted him to look after her and make sure she actually remembered to breathe. And eat. _Wow, I'm hungry._

Bisharp sat down next to her, Mawile on the floor at their feet, and Ralts on her desk chair. The trapdoor to her room opened, allowing Misdreavus and the platter of assorted snacks she was psychically levitating up with her to float up to them. It also, unfortunately, allowed Skitty to bound into the room. Marinette jumped to her feet and caught Skitty before he could dive headfirst into her work. "There's a reason you're not allowed in here when I'm working, kitty cat." She looked around, holding Skitty firm as he wriggled in her arms. Around the covered mannequin was a storm of fabric, mostly black, all over the place. A small basket on the floor nearby – the thing Skitty was attempting to get into – contained small spools of thread in all colors Marinette needed and more, sans the green and black, which Marinette had separated, closer to the sewing machine. _I need to put those back before I forget._

She was always careful with her thread, or at least with _that_ thread in particular. It was a little silly, since Ariados had no trouble spinning more for her and dying it was a simple process, but the fact that the thread did come from Ariados rather than the store made it more special to her. She rarely used it except for projects special to her, or for people special to her. She hadn't considered using it for Chat's outfit until after the incident with the heracross. After that, she felt he might have deserved it.

It was such a small detail. Just the thread she sewed with. It wasn't even the fabric. (To date, she had only made three things entirely from Ariados' silk: a hat as a gift for her mother, and the two scarves that served as part of her superhero disguise as well as Chat Noir's. Though something made from the silk would be notably strong and probably would have been a good idea for their whole hero outfits, weaving the fabric would take far too much time. Marinette hoped she wouldn't have to be Ladybug long enough that that became a possibility. Still, she did have a small amount of fabric made from the stuff. Not nearly enough for an outfit, though, and even that was collected over several months. Ariados could produce more silk if needed, but Marinette didn't like to stress him. Plus, especially recently, she preferred he used it to save her from falling off the river wall than to weave fabric.) Still, even though she knew Chat would almost certainly never even know, she did, and it made it special to her.

Incidentally, Skitty also happened to love the stuff, and would root around in it for hours. He was part of the reason that Marinette had so little actual fabric made from the silk. That's why, when she was working with it, she always had to keep Skitty either in the pokéball or in another part of the house.

She put Skitty down and closed the trapdoor over him, so he couldn't get back in. When she picked up the spool of black thread, her stomach churned. _This is special. I know that. But for him or for me?_

A sound from Bisharp told her that he knew what she was thinking, and that he wanted her to stop. She looked at him. "I'm just saying."

He shook his head. _You're better than you give yourself credit for._

"Him performing with this outfit is one of the best things that can happen for my career."

 _I can't believe you'd even consider that you only want him safe so that he can show off your cat suit._

"I can't believe I just called it a cat suit. Arceus."

Bisharp laughed.

"You know, when it occurs to me that I'll be most famous for a cat suit, I'm suddenly far less worried that he won't be able to perform."

 _You don't mean that._ Marinette hesitated, because for a moment she wasn't entirely sure whether she was really reading Bisharp as usual, or if that was just her own thoughts. _Both._ That one, she knew, was definitely Bisharp.

 _I hate that you read me as easily as I read you,_ she thought, glaring at Bisharp as he smirked.

He handed her a cookie, and nodded as allowance for her to continue working.

She decided to sit for a while longer, just waiting for each bite of her cookie to melt in her mouth without even chewing. _I mean, of course it's not_ just _that, but could I honestly say that no part of the reason I'm so scared of him getting hurt is that he may not be able to perform? The answer is no._

 _And what does that say about me?_

 _Well, they do say that the fashion industry is cutthroat._ Marinette sighed, looking to Bisharp. _Okay, yeah, that wasn't as funny as I thought it would be._

She stood, going to scavenge for the patterns she used to make her first Ladybug jacket. "Right. Back at it. Shouldn't have put this off so long."

Bisharp frowned at her. _You're overworking yourself again._

"Yeah, well, I call it a good thing."

 _Marinette._ His stern gaze stopped her rummaging for a moment.

"Look. If I'm exhausted by the time I go to sleep, I don't have nightmares. That's good for at least three of us in this room, okay?"

Ralts let out an indignant cry, accompanying Bisharp's groan. _Not at the cost of your health!_

"There's a price for everything. I'm paying mine. That's that. Leave it alone, please."

The look that Bisharp gave her made it clear that he had no intention of leaving it alone. _You don't have to do this._

"Funny thing is, I think I do now. Like, I did have a choice back when this started. But… I've passed a point of no return somewhere along the way, I think." She laid out her fabric and started outlining the pieces she'd need to cut. "I mean, people know me now. They rely on me. And at this point, if I did stop I'd feel like I'm abandoning everyone." Bisharp raised his brow. "Everyone. Rose, the other classmates, Chat, everyone in Lumiose. I can't not do this. Not because I like, can't actually choose not to, but I just couldn't live with myself."

Bisharp sighed, shook his head, and handed her the scissors.

* * *

When Chat arrived the next day, Marinette was prepared.

Mostly.

She thought.

 _Oh man, there are so many things I need to fix._ "Good afternoon, Princess!"

"Take your clothes off."

"I- excuse me?"

She looked up from her mannequin to see his cheeks tinged pink and his mouth working as he tried to form words but couldn't conjure them. She gave him the flattest look she could muster. "As in, put on the new outfit? So I can make sure everything fits right before you take it?"

"Oh! Right, of course."

"Arceus, Chat."

He opened his mouth to say something in his defense, but evidently thought better of it and just silently peeled off his clothes. "Sorry." He muttered while Marinette handed him his new pants.

Marinette just chuckled. "Don't worry about it. It's my own fault. Too distracted to realize… ah, good, those fit perfectly. Just let me…"

"I thought they fit perfectly?" Chat said with an amused smile as Marinette kneeled to tug at the fabric a little, pulling the legs down, then the waist up.

"They do. Doesn't mean I shouldn't make extra sure. You're going to be really active in these. I need to get it perfect. Try stressing it."

Chat raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"I don't know. Do a barrel roll for all I care." At that, Chat Noir shrugged and dropped into a full splits. Marinette immediately set to work, examining how the fit changed. "Okay." He stood again. "Forward-backward now, please?" Another shrug, and he dropped again. Another time, switching which leg was forward, and Marinette was _mostly_ satisfied. _Ariados' thread is more than strong enough. Which means it's only my sewing which will fail or not. Well, not much I can do about it now unless it rips, in which case, I'll be too busy hiding in a swamp, living out my days as a bog witch, too embarrassed to return to civilization. So, then it won't be my job to fix it anyway._ "Shirt now."

He obliged, smiling as he ran his hands along the fabric on his abdomen. "I like this shirt."

"Thank you. Stretch a little?"

He obliged, raising his arms, rolling his shoulders, twisting, until Marinette was mostly satisfied. "Alright then. The jacket."

Chat let out a little squeak when he saw it. "You _did_ make me tabby!" Marinette almost questioned whether that was okay, but the ear-to-ear grin on his face was more than enough answer. "You know, looking at it made and all, the stripes almost look more like armor. I think it's the leather."

"Done on purpose. See the shoulder detailing? Inspired because you need a suit of armor, going out there and fighting those megas for us."

"Aw, are you admitting that I'm a knight?"

"A knight errant, sure."

"For once in my life, I'm going to ignore the pun and just accept that at face value."

Marinette snickered. "Do that. Raise your arms?" _Huh. I'm surprisingly content with this. At least if this ruins every hope I have of becoming a designer, I'm going down in flames, with something I'm proud of._

 _Then again, Chat Noir could make paisley look good, couldn't he? Ugh, probably. Well, I'll consider that a lucky break. I have a great model for this._ "Good. Lastly…" She turned and grabbed his gloves. "Try them on."

He slipped them onto his hands and smiled, if it was possible, even wider. "They're perfect."

"Good. I had time, so I made a few extra pairs of those, by the way. I watched your fight with Houndoom. You burned your hand on the concrete before Juleka's goodra called the rain, didn't you? These might help you in the field."

Chat seemed stunned as he accepted the two extra pairs of gloves. "You didn't need to do this."

"No trouble at all." She hummed as she saw his complete look. _Not bad. Not bad at all._ "Consider that a donation to the cause. And consider this a gift to you." She turned to pull a simple black hoodie from a box. "I figured even if you had an extra, there's no telling when that would get ruined, so…"

"You made me another hoodie?"

"Well, I saw that the other one was burned. No one's going to be able to repair that, and I imagine cat-eared hoodies aren't exactly the most populous thing on the market. At least if I'm providing it's discrete."

"I… Let me pay you for this at least."

"No need, Kitten." She flashed him a grin. "That's a thank you. If I need to make you another one, then you can be sure I'll charge you for it. Deal?" Chat continued to protest. "Look, Chat. Truth be told, I kind of got on a roll with those. Made a Ladybug one for Alya, see? And she made me make one for myself so we could match."

And then his face was flushed again. "Y-you have a cat hoodie? For yourself?"

"Yep. See?" She grabbed it off the back of her desk chair and slipped it on, flipping the hood up so that he could see the ears attached to it.

Chat Noir stared for a moment, and then averted his gaze, gently and idly running his fingers over the bandages on his exposed forearm. Marinette tugged at her sleeve, ensuring her own bandage was still carefully covered. "Does it hurt?" She asked.

He followed her gaze and jumped a little when he realized what she was referring to. "Yes." He said simply.

"Sorry. I didn't mean t-"

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

A long silence. "So… you like the outfit?"

Chat Noir laughed at that, the tension released like a punctured balloon letting out air. "I do. I love it, Mari! Like, absolutely in love."

"Hopefully your fans think the same."

"They will. Hey, really, it's great."

"You're like the king of flattery, and all I get is 'really, it's great'? Don't you know when a girl is fishing for compliments?"

Chat smiled. "Ah, forgive me, Princess, you're absolutely right. This outfit is without a doubt the turning point in my career as a performer."

"Showcase. Clever, but try again."

"I've always dreamt of becoming tabby."

"I knew it."

"And now I'm your tabby knight. You are and are the cause of all of my dreams coming true and I am forever indebted to you for simply gracing me with your marvelous creation."

Marinette burst out giggling. "There it is." Chat laughed along with her.

"One hundred percent seriousness, though. I really do love the outfit, Marinette. Thank you for doing this for me."

"Hey, I'm the one getting paid for it."

"Oh, just accept a compliment."

"I'll accept a hug."

Chat snorted. "I can do that."

He wrapped his arms around her, warm and safe and then the earthquake knocked both of them off their feet.


	29. Fault Lines, Part I

_Well at least it was a memorable moment?_ Adrien groaned, carefully disentangling himself from Marinette. Luckily, he didn't land on her, but he was pretty sure he was the one who pulled Marinette down with him, not the other way around. "What on Earth…"

"It must be another mega. Chat, get changed quick."

Adrien stood and helped Marinette to her feet. "I'm already in costum-"

"Like hell are you going out there in your new stage outfit. That is for performances only. At least until after your big show."

"Oh. Right."

He peeled off the clothes as quickly as he could, changing into his much less impressive guise as Marinette turned on the news. "…Hotel Richissime on Northern Avenue. We ask everyone in the vicinity to please stay indoors until the authorities can take care of the situation."

"Us, she means." Adrien muttered. He tugged his hoodie over his head. "What pokémon is it?"

"Steelix."

"Lovely." He double checked his pockets and turned to Marinette. "I've got to run."

"Hold a second." She dug through some basket and pulled out a long black cloth. "You're supposed to wear your scarf, you know. That steelix is going to be kicking up a lot of dirt, if not a sandstorm." She wrapped it deftly around his neck and positioned it over his nose and mouth before flipping his hood up over his head and smiling. The gesture didn't seem to quite reach her eyes, though. "Now get going."

As he passed through the door to her family's bakery, he reached up to fondle the scarf, smiling. It was soft, but different from the scarf that Ladybug had given him during the incident with the abomasnow. _Wonder what material this is. Ladybug's was smoother but this one's warmer. Or maybe that's just because I'm not in a blizzard this time._ He still had the scarf that Ladybug gave him, of course, but it didn't occur to him to wear it when he was supposed to be just going over to Marinette's house for an hour. _Ladybug would chastise me for not being prepared. Marinette_ did _actually… so maybe we can avoid that and call it even._

Even while he was submerged in his thoughts, it didn't take long for him to notice the dust. At first it was subtle, since his scarf was keeping it out of his mouth, he only really noticed it by the faint sepia tinge that the air around him had. But the closer he got to Hotel Richissime, the worse it got. When he rounded onto Northern Avenue, he had to turn away and blink the sand out his eyes. They stung, and he was forced to squint and hold his arm up for a small amount of protection as he continued his march. Visibility was dropping rapidly, as well, and Adrien was reminded of the blizzard that the abomasnow conjured. The difference being, he was comfortable as far as temperature was concerned. Everything else, now, that was a different story. _I'm going to be digging sand out of everywhere for months, aren't I?_

 _Not the time. Steelix. Right, steelix. Iron snake… super hard body. Immobilization and stalling then. Trying to overpower it won't work. Mega steelix are just about impervious to conventional damage. That means… even though Ladybug's pokémon are more suited to the sandstorm, mine would be more effective. In theory. Calculating in that my pokémon have much less raw firepower and Mawile is the only mega, I- I don't know._

Adrien came face to face with the steelix soon enough. He stopped dead in his tracks as a shining crystal crossed his path, attached to a long, long silver body. _It didn't see me._ He waited until the tip of the steelix's tail was the only thing left in view which, even though the low visibility meant that Adrien was far too close to it for comfort, the head would be a good ten meters away. _Probably more, judging by the tail's girth. This is a large one. What did my book say about steelix? Average about nine meters or so before mega evolving. After is… ten and a half? This one must be twelve at least, maybe fifteen. In any case…_ He pulled out a pokéball, satisfied that with the rushing wind, the steelix wouldn't hear a pokémon come out of the ball and turn its attention on them. _Not the best sense of hearing, anyway. Good eyesight though, which is unusual for tunnel-dwellers. Hmm._

 _What can I do, though?_ He frowned as he tailed the steelix, keeping behind it (he hoped, he couldn't actually see its head) but keeping it in sight. _Plagg's a physical attacker, Tikki can't fly in this, and Rocco can't- he's still hurt. What can Plagg do to stall a mega steelix?_

"Alix…" A slightly panicked voice rose as the wind lulled for a moment.

Adrien immediately tensed. _Someone's here. Like, really close. And if they were talking about the Alix I know…_

He went towards where he thought the voice came from as quickly as possible. Which was up past the mega steelix. He dropped all pretense of trailing it – someone was right in front of it and he had to get between them.

"Just a little longer!" Alix yelled over the wind. _Definitely our Alix._ "We need to wait for Ladybug and Chat Noir to get here!"

"Alix!" The other voice ( _Nathanaël?_ ) yelled.

Adrien didn't hear Alix's reply, since the only sound above the wind at that point was the steelix's menacing, grinding growl.

The steelix turned sharply, diving after something to its left, leaving Adrien to drop to the asphalt to avoid its tail decapitating him as it swung past him. He leapt to his feet without missing another beat and continued forward, hoping that the thing the steelix went after wasn't one of his classmates.

"Chat Noir!" Alix exclaimed when he neared them and they could see each other within the sandstorm. "Finally! Where's Ladybug?"

"Oh, thank Arceus." Nathanaël said, shaking.

Adrien examined them. Nathanaël was shaking like a leaf and clinging to Alix's arm. His sableye was standing at his feet, grasping his pant leg, and he had improvised a face covering to keep the worst of the sand out of his nose and mouth with a paint-stained rag.

Alix, in contrast, was glowing. She had a wild fire in her eyes and Adrien knew that under her own paint-covered rag protecting her mouth, she was grinning like a madwoman.

"I don't know."

"I'm here!" Ladybug called. "Where's the steelix?"

Alix lit up even more, if it were possible. "Pangoro is distracting him. We have a plan, but we needed to get you here first."

"What's the plan?"

Alix turned into the sandstorm where the steelix had gone, lifted her hand to her mouth, and let out a piercing whistle. They didn't have to wait long for Pangoro to appear, landing next to them and turning on his heel to face the steelix emerging from the sandstorm. "Now, Nath!"

"Right. Sableye, Wonder Room!"

Adrien took a step back from the steelix looming over him, but his heel hit a shimmering wall of light that prevented his escape. "Your plan was to trap us with it?!" He exclaimed, thrown off by how sudden it was and the wind rapidly increasing in strength.

"Go Pangoro! Hammer Arm!"

Adrien had a hard time seeing the battle. His eyes were watering, trying to clear themselves of the stinging sand, and the Wonder Room kept the sandstorm contained and magnified its strength in the relatively small area, reducing visibility after a few seconds to even less than a meter.

He huddled close to Ladybug – the only reason he saw her call out Bisharp and Mawile – but he didn't need to see Pangoro and the steelix to feel the earth shaking under his feet. _Either Pangoro got a hit in, or the steelix did._

 _I can't see what's happening, much less where the little device thing is. We need to stop this sandstorm._

"My Lady!" He yelled close to her ear. "I need to get close to it! I can't tell how it's causing the storm!"

"Understood. Bisharp, keep him safe. I'll coordinate with those two." With a gesture to Alix and Nathanaël, she left his side.

Adrien followed Bisharp forward, keeping an eye out – as much as he could – for the steelix. Luckily, the Wonder Room kept them in a relatively small section of the street, and since the steelix was so big, it wasn't difficult to find.

Seeing it clearly, and deducing how it was causing such a furious sandstorm? Not so easy.

Pangoro slammed the steelix's head down, forcing it lower, but the steelix managed to hold its head up. With the Wonder Room affecting everyone, it seemed enough to daze the steelix, but only for a moment. In the next, the steelix was rearing up again, and Bisharp was pulling him back to avoid being taken out by the shards of stone and crystal circling the steelix's body like bullets in orbit of the pokemon. _Just anterior to those crystals. Hmm. It's hard in a closed container like this… how does wind flow in these conditions? If we assume the wind is starting at Steelix…_

He gritted his teeth, pushing forward until he was behind the steelix. With a glance at Bisharp, he gulped. _It's hard to tell. Sorry, Bisharp. I've got a theory, but it'll be difficult to pull off if I'm right, so I need to make sure before we try._

He closed his eyes, held his scarf to his face with a hand to get a mostly clean breath of air, and then jumped onto the steelix's tail.

Bisharp cried out something at him, but he just immediately focused on working his way forward, towards the head. _Only like, ten meters. You can do this._

Luckily for him, the steelix didn't even seem to notice he was there. Still, in its battle with Pangoro and the mega evolved Mawile, it was moving around a lot. That made everything more difficult, both staying on the steelix in the first place, and carefully feeling the differences in intensity of the wind.

He paused momentarily at the large crystals protruding from steelix's main body, holding onto them as he tried to examine the wind.

But it was blowing harder than ever before, whipping around him with what he was sure must have been natural storm-level velocity. And, he noticed, this close to the steelix's upper body, it came from a single direction. Directly behind him.

When Steelix once again hit the ground, Adrien took the opportunity to move up another segment of steelix's body, clutching onto the next big crystal. From there, he could see the blur of the revolving stones. _It must be. I don't see any other alternatives._ At that spot, the wind came from the broad direction of behind him and to his left. _Given that change… The forward wind is induced, while the rightward is from the movement of those stones. That creates a spiral of wind like a tornado blowing out from its head._

 _So, all we need to do is stop rocks that are flying at Arceus-knows what velocity. Easy._

 _Now how am I going to get down?_

 _Shit._

He looked behind him, a bad idea considering it just made the sand brow right into his face instead of from behind him, but he couldn't see anything but dark brown anyway.

 _Okay, let's rethink. How is the steelix moving those rocks? Magnetism, maybe? Damn, I need to read up on steelix again. Maybe I can just hit them out of line, and that's that._

He reached into his pocket, bringing out Plagg's pokéball. With a click, he pressed the button, letting Plagg out. The steelix lurched, and Adrien wrapped an arm around Plagg to help him keep balanced. "See those?" He pointed to the stones whizzing by. "Shadow Ball."

Plagg obliged, sending out multiple attacks that struck the whirling stones and did nothing. _Damn. They're moving too fast. They're just destabilizing the Shadow Ball. Still, in theory, at least a little bit of that ring should be blown off, so there's likely some force keeping them in their position._

Plagg hissed in annoyance. "Chat!" Ladybug's voice rose over even the wind. Unfortunately for him, it sounded angry. _Oops. Better get down. I don't know what else I can do from here, anyway._

A moment later, he felt himself being lifted off of the back of steelix, and Misdreavus appeared in front of him. _Her Psychic. Of course._ He was set down next to the group, Bisharp having apparently returned to them.

"Chat!" Ladybug exclaimed. "What were you thinking?!"

"The stones! The ones flying around the steelix! If we stop them, we can stop the sandstorm!"

Ladybug turned toward the steelix. Only the tip of its head was visible as it clashed with Mawile. "Okay."

"Also, thanks for getting me down."

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Do you have a plan?"

Adrien shook his head. "I tried attacking the ring but it didn't seem to have any effect."

"Um…" Adrien turned when Nathanaël tapped his shoulder. "I might have an idea."

"Shoot." Ladybug said.

"Whenever its head gets too low, that ring hits the ground. If we can get its head low enough for long enough…"

Adrien snapped his fingers. "That'll stop the rotation! Nath, you're brilliant!" Nathanaël looked away quickly, but Adrien didn't pay it much mind.

"But we don't know how to do that." Ladybug said. "Our attacks barely move it."

Adrien's mind was already running. "Ladybug. Could we tether it to the ground, somehow?"

"I suppose it's worth a try. If Ariados ties it down and Misdreavus uses Psychic, together they might be able to hold it long enough to stop those rocks."

"Venonat can help, too." Nathanaël said. "He knows Psychic."

"Good. But we still need to get it low enough in the first place."

"Ideas?" Adrien asked.

Alix punched his shoulder suddenly. "We punch it down."

"Alix, no offence, but-"

"It'll take careful timing, but between Pangoro, Bisharp, Sableye, Absol, and Mawile, we should be able to push it low enough."

"Sableye?"

"Little guy can pull out some huge power. Foul Play."

Adrien lifted his brow. "Of course! This might actually work."

"Worth a shot." Ladybug said. "We'll go in that order, okay? Bisharp, be ready. Chat, call it."

"You want me to?" Adrien hesitated. If he didn't get the timing exactly right, things could go bad.

"Of course. You're a performer. If anyone can time this right, it's you."

"But only one of the attackers are my pokémon. A battler would have an easier time." He looked over at Alix. _She's the best in our class, and if I remember right, she's pretty good at double battles too. She's better suited. I'm used to rehearsing and practicing this kind of timing. Battlers are better at feeling out the enemy pokémon for that. Coordinating so many pokémon at once, who've been trained by so many different trainers…_

 _It needs to be her._

Alix seemed as stunned as Ladybug. "What? Why are you looking at me?"

"I rehearse my timing." Chat said. "Battlers are the ones who do it on the fly."

Alix looked at Ladybug, who put a hand to her chin and then nodded. "Chat's right. Alix, you should call it."

Alix stared at Ladybug doubtfully for a second, perhaps wondering why she didn't call it herself. _She mentioned once that she's just an ordinary trainer. Maybe like Alix, Nath, and me. It's not unbelievable, considering we're here. Maybe she's even a student. It could be that she thinks Alix would actually be better at this than her._ "I won't let you down." Alix said, nodding. She looked around at the various pokémon. "Come on, let's get to work. You all get prepared while I look for an opening, alright?"

Ladybug nodded, pulling a pokéball out of her pocket. "Can do."

Nathanaël pulled out a pokéball as well, and released Venonat just as Ladybug released Ariados.

Adrien reached into his pocket to thumb Tikki's pokéball. In preparation, he pulled it out. _She can't fly in this, but if this works, she can help distract while the others regroup. The wind should die out pretty quickly._

"Ready!" Ladybug called.

"Just a moment!" Alix yelled back. Pangoro gave the steelix a Sky Uppercut, interrupting its charge toward Alix. He had only enough time to land before Alix ordered him to jump again.

The steelix tried to shake off the Sky Uppercut, but as it was tilting it's head down, compensating for the previous upward impact, Pangoro was back in position. "Now!" Alix yelled. Bisharp jumped; Pangoro hit the steelix down with Hammer Arm. "Go!" Sableye jumped, already wreathed in a dark energy. As the steelix's head came to its lowest point – just before it recovered and started lifting up again – Bisharp gave it a Night Slash. "Go!" Plagg jumped; Foul Play hit its mark. "Go!" Mawile jumped; Plagg's Night Slash hit.

"Now!" Ladybug called. Ariados shot a thick string of web, catching the steelix's head and pulling it down even further. Misdreavus and Venonat, used their Psychic to try to force it even further.

The stones revolving around the steelix's head were digging into the street, gouging a deep, ugly line into it.

Mawile hit it with an Iron Head. The force from a mega evolved pokémon like Mawile in conjunction with the three other pokémon proved to be enough to force the steelix's head all the way to the asphalt.

The stones revolving around it struck the asphalt with force, and started ricocheting off, bouncing in random directions. Alix and Nathanaël and most of the pokémon ducked low to avoid the shards. Only Bisharp, who stepped in front of Plagg, using his strong metallic body as a shield, Ariados, who was low to the ground anyway and was trying to stick the steelix's head as thoroughly to the asphalt as he could, Misdreavus and Venonat, who were focusing intently on the steelix, and Ladybug, who stepped in front of him, moved in those short few seconds.

Ladybug stumbled back into him. He caught her. He tried desperately not to look because he knew, in his head, what had happened. But he couldn't resist. She wasn't supporting her own weight, her hands were clamped over her abdomen. He lowered her gently, sinking to his own butt so he was just sitting in the street.

He looked. Ladybug's hands were covered in blood.

 _She's hit._


	30. Fault Lines, Part II

_In these situations, take stock._ Adrien glanced around frantically, checking everyone else while adamantly refusing to focus on the girl in his arms or how warm and wet his hands were, pressing on her stomach. _The pokémon are all okay. Bisharp took a beating but no serious damage. Nathanaël… unharmed. Alix has a cut on her arm – deep, but it looks like the rock just grazed her. She'll need to go to the hospital, but she's not out of commission. I'm fine, just a bruise._ He grabbed his shoulder, where a rock had struck him from behind. _Ricochet from off the Wonder Room._

 _Damn it. I should have thought ahead for this._

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud cracking sound. "That's the Wonder Room!" Alix yelled, and the sandstorm had died by then just enough for Adrien to see the glow of the Wonder Room, and the fractures scattered throughout. "It kept the rocks contained." _Figured that much out, thanks._ "Everyone outside is safe!" _Good point actually. Property damage is at a minimum, except the street. There are probably people in those buildings._

 _One good thing._ The Wonder Room shattered completely, and the Steelix let out an ear-splitting screech. Adrien only just resisted covering his ears, reminding himself just in time to keep pressure on Ladybug's wound. He saw Alix and Nathanaël ahead of him cover their ears. They still hadn't looked back. Once it was quiet enough, he yelled, "Alix! Ladybug's down!"

Nathanaël turned immediately. Ariados and Bisharp faltered but didn't look back from their opponent. Alix likewise kept her focus. "Fuck! Misdreavus, Sableye, find the thing! Mawile, Pangoro, Bisharp, keep its attention! Give them time!" Only after giving out her orders did Alix turn to assess the damage.

"Absol, help Mawile!" Adrien called, removing only one hand to fish Tikki's pokéball from his pocket. His fingers slid on the metal surface, slick, struggling to find and press the button in the middle. When he finally managed to release Tikki, he asked her to assist in the search for the device.

His ears were still ringing, and he was torn between tunnel vision for Ladybug, or the steelix.

The four stronger pokémon heckled the steelix, still tied down by webbing and Venonat's psychic (though it was dangerously close to breaking loose), while the smaller and weaker pokémon frisked it. Adrien had to admit, all nine pokémon working together like that was a sight to behold. It was awesome in a way that most people never saw, with battles normally so regulated. But it was also terrifying. Even with all nine of them, the steelix was slowly breaking free from its bonds, looking hardly the worse for wear, while their pokémon were almost all out of breath or injured, however slightly.

Alix let out a string of curses when she looked down at them, and turned away quickly. "We need to find that thing. Now."

The steelix lurched, raising its head from the ground completely. Strings of webbing hung from it, glistening in the sun, and Venonat curled up a little, obviously overpowered. _It's free._ Sableye tumbled off it's back and darted away, Misdreavus turned invisible, but Tikki flew only closer, up to the base of its head, and cried out to them.

"Aha! Ledian, you're an angel!" Alix cried.

Nathanaël reached out, but didn't touch Ladybug. He seemed scared to. But when Alix hooted for joy, he turned back to the battle instead. "How are we going to get it?"

"We aren't." Alix's eyes hardened, examining her target. _It's on the back of its head, or maybe the top of the segment under its head. I can't tell from here._ Adrien frowned. _If only we found it faster. We could have gotten it when it was tied down. I doubt that will work a second time._ "We're breaking it."

"But we need to get-"

"Nath. If we hit it hard enough, we'll shatter it. Steelix is our anvil. Hear that, Pangoro?"

The pokémon grunted in affirmation. Satisfied that Alix was capable (probably more so than himself, if he were honest) he allowed himself to turn his attention to Ladybug.

He wished he hadn't.

Adrien didn't consider himself squeamish with blood, but he'd never been put in a situation there that was tested with more than a nose bleed or a scraped knee. Even his own injury was a minor second-degree burn. It still hurt, and it still blistered, but it didn't bleed unless he picked at it (which, with Rocco, Plagg, and Tikki watching over him, only happened once). And sure, he'd seen Ladybug get taken down by the manectric, and he knew that she had to have bleed quite a bit then, but the news didn't want to show Lumiose's hero taken down. The footage focused on Rose after that happened, and Adrien only got glimpses of Ladybug.

But this… he couldn't be sure what exactly hit her, stone or crystal or metal, but whatever it was it entered her abdomen and there was too much blood _oh my god, she literally took a bullet for me. Why did she do that? She definitely stepped in front of me. Why…_

He felt nauseous, and not just at the gruesome sight. "Chat." A gentle voice called him out of his thoughts. Gave him something else to focus on. He looked into Nathanaël's wide eyes. "You need to get her out of here."

"No!" Adrien's attention snapped back to Ladybug, who was grimacing and growling under her breath. He had hardly noticed she was even still conscious. "Just help me- ah! Fuck!"

"Stay still." Adrien said, moving one hand to her shoulder and quickly removing it when she cried out again.

"Still hurts from the manectric, dude!"

"Sorry!"

"Kinda used to it!" Ladybug growled harshly and reached up, hooking her arm around Adrien's neck and pulling herself up, gritting her teeth all the while. "Could stand for _less_ pain right about now, though."

"Stop moving! You'll bleed faster!"

"Is that even true?"

"I don't know! I don't want to risk it!"

Alix laughed. "If you two are done, it might be smart to get out of the battle zone."

Ladybug grunted again in frustration. "Help me up."

"No! Lay down!"

"Chat Noir, help me up right no- hey!"

Knowing he couldn't argue with her, and not knowing what else to do, he slipped one arm under her back and another under her knees and lifted her swiftly. He shared a look with Nathanaël and started backing away towards shelter, Hotel Richissime, trying to keep Ladybug as steady as possible in his trembling arms.

"Hey, no, keep pressure on that." He chastised when she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. She returned her hands to her wound, and her eyes to the battle.

They were holding their own, but only because there were so many pokémon in the fray. The moment the steelix locked on to one of them, it would be distracted by another. Still, that kind of battling meant that all of their pokémon had to be mobile, and it was tiring them out.

It was all a flurry of color and motion. Pangoro would hit from one side, Bisharp from another, with Plagg following up from the front, while Tikki flitted about, trying for an opening. Steelix thrashed, and since the device was at its head, and therefore moving with it, Misdreavus was having trouble picking it off with Psychic. Ariados and Venonat kept doing what they could to restrict its movement, but no matter what they did, what any of them did, the steelix hardly seemed fazed. It was simply too sturdy for any of their attacks to actually do any damage, even Mawile's served to do little more than push it around. Ice Beam didn't even have time to form before the steelix broke free, Ariados' webs were nothing more than glistening tassels.

Adrien's heel hit a wall, but he didn't turn, because the steelix roared and slammed the ground. It curved and slammed down again and again in a way that might have been comical if Adrien wasn't carrying a bleeding Ladybug and watching the ground crack and shift underneath them all. "Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, Arceus, fuck."

Nathanaël stumbled, when the earth shook, as did Adrien. He had the wall to support him, though, and didn't drop Ladybug. Alix stood taller, if it was possible, and barked orders to the plethora of pokémon around them. They jumped the steelix. Every single one of them doing all they could to even get close with the wild thrashing of the mega. But with the uncontrolled movements, the battle also drifted.

Adrien could do nothing but pray. He slid down the wall and clutched Ladybug close to him as the steelix neared. He couldn't run, he couldn't even stand with how the ground was shaking. Alix lost her footing, too, and fell, though she still yelled piercing orders through the slamming. Adrien couldn't see Nathanaël, and the dirt being kicked up was making it difficult to see at all, again.

Everything just kept shaking and Adrien was helpless. A deafening explosion just to his right made Adrien flinch, but he couldn't open his eyes to see what it was. He imagined it was the steelix, or the hotel beginning to collapse. He looked again, after a moment, seeing the boulder segments of the steelix and a gaping hole in the wall.

He ducked down as low as he could while still shielding Ladybug to avoid the steelix's tail from decapitating him. Rubble buffeted his back.

He wasn't sure what happened after that. He accounted it to dumb luck, that somehow the steelix didn't hit him, that Nathanaël had pulled them out of there before the falling debris crushed him, that Misdreavus was able to snatch the device with Psychic in the moment where the tight quarters of the inside of the hotel were still restrictive. And intact.

The next thing he knew, he was in a room, scrubbing the blood from his hands. And he was tired. So tired. "Adrien."

He jumped, locking eyes with Alix. He blubbered out something incoherent, not even sure what he wanted to say.

Alix sighed, and took a towel from a rack, running it under the water and grabbing his hand. "You know what I've been asking myself since we got here?" He shook his head. Alix started cleaning his arm. The cold, gentle touch of the towel was strangely calming. "How could I not have known? All this time. It was you out there risking your life. You're not even…"

"Don't say it. I know, okay?" Adrien looked down at his burnt arm, at the ugly blisters that were still there. "I'm not a fighter. I know."

Alix laughed. "No, sorry dude, but you're _definitely_ a fighter."

"What?" He scoffed. "I'm not. I've barely even battled before that first day."

"And since then, you've fought a mega heracross, abomasnow, houndoom, and steelix. When the rest of the city sans Ladybug were shaking in their boots, you looked the mega pokémon in the eye and told them to fight you. That's nothing if not a fighter."

 _She has a point. But that's kind of not what I'm talking about._

"So you didn't have battle training. Do you really think that I'd be any better at this than you are? You've been doing well. You've been inspiring people."

"That wasn't the point of it."

"Then what was?" She took his other hand, moving his burn under the water for a few seconds to clean it as well as she could without touching it, and started to towel up the rest of the blood on that arm, too.

Adrien shook his head. "Some kid was in danger. I never meant to get involved. I only wanted to distract the thing long enough for him to escape."

Alix chuckled. "Sounds just like you. And for the record, I wasn't going to say you aren't a fighter. I was actually saying that you're not even old enough to drink."

Adrien snorted. "Hasn't stopped me."

She gasped theatrically. "Adrien."

"What? I don't make a habit of it."

"Your dad hasn't killed you for that?"

"So long as I don't do it in public, or get you know, inebriated. Mostly I just taste test. Only got flat out drunk once. Didn't particularly enjoy it, so I don't do it. Dad's actually better than people think about that stuff."

"About what?"

"Restrictions. I can do pretty much whatever I want. He trusts me to act responsibly, so as long as I'm not getting into trouble and nothing I'm doing interferes with work or school, I'm kind of set loose." Alix gave him a strange look. "What?"

She sighed. "Well, far be it from me to criticize your dad, but… I have to ask. Is it trust, or negligence?"

Adrien shrugged. "A little of both, probably. Don't worry. I know he's not a very good dad. I think it's more that he just doesn't know how."

"Ah, there." Alix ran the bloodied towel under the water and wrung it out a few times. There were red stains on it, but most of the blood was gone. She washed her own hands and moved with him to sit down against the wall. "Tell me about your dad. You said that he doesn't know how to be a dad?"

"Yeah." Adrien nodded, closing his eyes and leaning back until his head bumped on the tile wall. "He cares. It took me a long time to figure it out, but he does. Rocco helped with that. It was… I don't know it's weird, I'd think it should be the other way around, but having Rocco there to compare was actually really helpful with realizing that dad does love me. He's just busy, and unfamiliar with it."

"Unfamiliar? You're seventeen."

"And he's never raised a seventeen-year-old until now. Thing is, he got used to taking things in his own time. Mom would look after me, and he'd give us both time whenever he could, but suddenly he had to take care of me and mom both and still balance work, and then Mom died and I became a full-time job.

"He actually was more attentive when I was younger. He's been backing off for a while now. I think it's his way of letting me grow up. He uses work as an excuse, but… yeah. Well, that and he's not fond of Plagg. Since I got him, Dad stopped coming by my room except in special circumstances. So, I didn't see him as much. And again, it just kind of got worse from there."

Alix hummed. "Why doesn't he like Plagg? That's your absol, right?"

"Yeah. It's because Plagg was the only one there when Mom died."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She was sick. We moved outside of Cyllage City for a while. Where dad could still work, but it was… quieter. Smaller. Mom liked it there. After a while, Plagg started showing up. We'd catch sight of him hanging around the house. Dad would drive him off whenever he saw him. He was actually shaking one time, when he saw me playing with Plagg. He shooed Plagg off and hugged me and…" Adrien shook his head. "I didn't understand at the time, but I do now, I think. I hadn't heard about absol's reputation back then. And I'm not sure I would have totally understood it if I had."

He paused, watching Alix. She remained quiet, and smiled encouragingly for him to continue. "But anyway, no matter how many times Dad drove him off, he'd come back. We started seeing him around more and more and Dad got more and more agitated. Plagg was just too easy to blame. And Dad needed someone."

"When she died… Plagg was there. Dad and I were out, but when we came back, we found her, and Plagg lying next to her. Dad was just… I don't know. What you'd expect, I guess. He really loved Mom. Plagg took me out of the room and kept me busy while dad grieved. I was old enough to understand what happened, but… I don't know. It helped. Having Plagg there to distract me until Dad could talk to me about it. He stuck around to help me grieve until we moved back to Lumiose."

"How did you end up catching him?"

Adrien chuckled. "One of Mom's pokéballs. I didn't want to leave him behind when we left. Dad had no idea. But even though… I think he knew that Plagg helped me, even if he hurt him, you know? So, he didn't make a fuss."

"I had no idea."

Adrien hummed. "But yeah. Dad is trying to let me grow up. You know, treating me like an adult. But unfortunately, he's not very good at it. Ends up treating me more like a business partner or something. It looks like… feels like negligence sometimes, but he's trying."

"Are you okay with that?"

Adrien shrugged. "I've got Plagg. And Tikki. And Rocco. And I understand. It's easier when I can see it."


	31. The Heroes of Lumiose

Confined to a hospital bed, Marinette had plenty of time to watch the news. It was horrible. Tragic. A disaster. More words than those came to mind and the screen. Still, when Marinette saw the sandstorm clear on the screen for the umpteenth time, she laid back and sighed in relief.

She was broken. Taken out. And with her injury, there was no way that she was going to dive back into the fray. Not with the steelix, not with whatever came next. _I'm done._

 _Ladybug is done._

Even if she wanted to, this wasn't some scratches on her arm or shoulders. If she tried to fight with a hole in her belly, she'd only hurt herself. Her doctors were vehement with her when she woke up. No heroics. Stay in bed.

 _I'm done._ She couldn't regret becoming Ladybug, but she also couldn't quite bring herself to regret that she couldn't be the hero anymore.

 _I just hope Chat doesn't get himself into trouble without me._

Raised voices outside the door drew her attention. "I'm not here to- I'm her best friend!"

A minute later, the door opened gently, and Alya popped her head in. She moved silently, and sat down at Marinette's side. It wasn't until Alya took off her glasses and rubbed at her eyes that Marinette realized there were unshed tears there. "Damn it," Alya muttered. "I told myself I wouldn't… Just." She took Marinette's hand, crushing it in her own as she stared into her eyes with the kind of intensity Alya reserved for when she was being totally serious. "Don't you ever do anything like that again. You hear?"

"I couldn't if I wanted to. Doctor's orders."

Alya let out a pained chuckle and held her hand close to her chest. "You're Ladybug."

Marinette's eyes drifted back to the television, to the buildings along North Avenue collapsing. To the body count scrolling across the bottom of the screen. _How did I even survive that? I was at the center. It seems so unfair._ "I was Ladybug. Not anymore."

Alya shook her head vigorously. "No. You'll always be Ladybug. To me, if no one else. I know… I know you don't want it public. But we – me and the rest of the class, I'm pretty sure most of us know – we're behind you one-hundred percent."

"Alya, I can't fight. I'm not going to be there the next time a mega pokémon attacks."

Alya bit her lip, and looked over at Aipom, standing off to the side with his camera respectfully pointed down to the floor, so they knew he wasn't recording. "I will."

"Don't. Don't put yourself in danger beca-"

"Why not? You did. You could."

"I had a mega stone. I had Mawile."

"We'll figure something out. Non-megas beat mega pokémon all the time in restricted battling. We just need to play smart. Use numbers. We'll pull it off."

Marinette knew that Alya would either give up on her plan soon, or could never be stopped, so she just sighed. "Don't take any risks."

"I won't. No one else is getting injured. Not on my watch."

"And Chat…"

Alya smirked. "Don't worry. I'll keep your boyfriend safe, too."

Marinette shook her head. "Just make sure he can perform. He's not missing his big showcase."

"He won't." She assured.

"And you better be in better condition than me when we go watch it."

Alya laughed. "It's a deal."

A knock on the door quieted them both, and Chat Noir poked his head into the room. "Marinette? The doctors said I could visit, but I saw Alya…"

"Come in."

He held his hands close to his chest, and he shuffled in hunched over, carefully rolling his scarf between his fingers. Not the one she had given him earlier that day, that one was limp around his neck, sagging like a deflated balloon. The shimmer of one in his hands was unmistakably the ariados silk one she had given him during the abomasnow fight. _Did he go back home to get that?_

"Chat. It's good to see you."

Chat Noir, for that moment, ignored Marinette. He trained his gaze on Alya. "Did I hear you right? You're going to fight?"

Alya met his eyes with a hard determination in her own. "I am."

His jaw tensed, his fingers curled. "No."

"Excuse me?"

"Alya, please. Don't."

"Why not?"

"I don't want you to… I don't want this for you. Please just trust me."

Marinette ducked her head. She knew what Chat was talking about. At the best of times, they had close calls. The nightmares she's had about Aggron alone were sometimes too much to bear. She hardly slept, just to avoid them. Thus far, she'd gotten away lucky. It didn't hurt her too significantly physically or in her daily life, but that obviously had changed. She knew that for Chat though, it was worse.

Not only did he have to deal with the life or death experiences that she did, but he had the whole situation with Zoroark. _I still can't imagine what that must have been like. And I haven't looked at our media coverage much aside from the basic news, but I can't imagine the people took that very well either. Especially since they don't know the whole story._

"I can't, Chat. I have a duty. Just like you."

"You don't have mega evolution. You can't replace Ladybug!"

"I'm not replacing her. But the people need heroes."

Chat shook his head. With a solemn look at Marinette, he just sighed quietly. "No, they don't. They need the police. They need the services designed for this. We shouldn't have even gotten involved from the start."

"Yes, they do. Listen. You've been out on the front lines this whole time. Do you know where I've been? Since Aggron?"

"Way too close?"

"Talking." Alya scowled. "I've been talking to people. Hearing what you mean to them. To me. Yes, maybe the police could handle it. They've even been making progress on the investigation, and I laud them for it, but they aren't the symbol they should be. They're not the symbol people need. That was and will always be you."

Chat looked down at his hands and took a shaky breath. "What if I don't want to be that symbol?"

"It doesn't matter. You are. And I'm at least going to try to give people the hope that what Ladybug _stood for_ can't be taken down, even if the girl is. That's why I have to fight, Chat."

"You don't know what it's like. Running into battle after battle, half-convinced that you won't make it out. Only surviving by the skin of your teeth because someone showed up to help, or because you got lucky, I… I still don't even know how we survived that last one. I dream of falling. I still feel like I need to wash my hands because I still see…" He shut his eyes hard. "I don't want you to feel like this. I don't want anyone else to feel like this."

Alya looked at Marinette, for support, or for verification. "He's right," Marinette said. "I've been waking up Ralts since Aggron because my nightmares make me panic. I work all day because it keeps my mind off of… all this."

Alya closed her eyes, adjusting her glasses. She took a deep breath. "I understand. I want to do this, anyway. Thank you for telling me, but I believe that this is too important."

"It's not more important than you, Alya."

"It's definitely more important than me, Mari."

Marinette exchanged a look with Chat. "We won't convince her."

He sighed, reaching up to untie his mask, nicked, barely even holding on around the places where he had small, minor cuts. "I know. In some ways, it's almost a relief. I couldn't… I couldn't go out there alone."

"You don't have to at all," Marinette said. _Adrien. You were Adrien, all this time._ "You deserve an early retirement from vigilantism."

"No. I wish, but no. Like Alya said, we're a symbol. I can still fight, so I have to. Besides, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I gave up now."

"As much as I want to agree with Marinette, you're right." Alya said. "If you did quit, people would probably think that you care more about your showcase than the city. Or that you were only trying to impress Ladybug."

Adrien hugged himself. "You said the police were making progress?"

"Yeah. They have a list of suspects. I'm optimistic. We just have to hold out a while longer."

"Just a while longer."

"Speaking of."

Adrien turned around, following Alya's gaze. At the door, Alix was peeking in. "You guys realize we've got a class of people out here waiting for a turn with Mari, right?" She grinned. "But sure, take as long as you want."

Marinette rolled her eyes. There was no point in covering it. Her class surely all knew about her by then, knew why she was in the hospital. Adrien, the boy who would otherwise have probably been the core of her concerns in that context, was Chat Noir himself, so that was invalid. _No reason to keep them waiting._ "Come in, then."

She couldn't help the smile on her face when the entire class poured in, cramping the room.

Surprisingly, it was Chloé who first pointed out her untouched tray of food at her bedside. "Haven't you eaten?"

Marinette glanced at the food and shrugged. "Not hungry."

Chloé sniffed. "I don't blame you. This hospital food isn't worth the tray it's served on. I'll make sure you get some real meals." Her eyes roamed up to Alya. "You're obviously planning something."

Alya crossed her arms. "I am."

"Good. I want in."

Alya scoffed. "Yeah right. Like you could be a hero."

"I have the most elite battle training of any of you, and my Elizabeth has fought mega pokémon before." _Elizabeth… her tyrantrum._

"Just so long as she doesn't break a nail."

Chloé growled. "Do you want my help or not? I'm not letting Ladybug end like this."

Alya still looked skeptical, but Alix stepped up to Chloé's side. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with her. I want to fight too. And I've battled her before. Chloé's an asset."

"Hey!" Kim said, stepping up as well. "No way are you guys fighting out there without me this time!"

"I'm not the strongest battler," Sabrina said, "but I can lend support. Make your jobs easier."

"I could also fill a supportive role." Max said, smiling. "I will do my utmost to minimize the gap in power between the megas and our own pokémon."

Alya sighed. "If that's how it's going to be." She met eyes with Chloé. "Are you sure you know what you're signing up for?"

Chloé, rather than answer, just defiantly held out a hand, her nose turned up but the glint in her eyes challenging. Alya shook her hand.

* * *

She stepped into the school, tall stone columns and archways slipping past. A familiar voice accompanied a hand on her shoulder. Someone asked about a physics project. Flames lapped at her sleeves, but she didn't mind. And then piercing eyes appeared in her bag. She smiled at them, put her hand in to touch what they belonged to. Her fingers fondled light strands of a boy's hair. He sighed gently and pulled away. She fell, down and down and over and she looked up to see a monster. It roared.

Stark white lights flickered and buzzed above her. Marinette stirred, shaking off her sleep, stilling her racing heart. She yawned noisily, above the buzz. "Hey, Marinette."

Marinette smiled at Juleka. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing new. You've rallied the class, they're all getting ready to fight out of control pokémon that can take out blocks of the city in minutes… what about you?"

She clutched her stomach when the pain speared through her gut. "Don't… don't make me laugh."

"Sorry."

"Are they really doing it?"

Juleka sighed. "Not all of them, though we're all involved somehow. You know us. Rose and me, Mylène and Nath, we're not cut out for that kind of stuff." She wrung her hands, ducking her head. "I'm not sure we'll ever even get over the houndoom and manectric. And Rose got it a lot worse than me, then. So…"

"I understand. I wouldn't ask you to fight."

Juleka took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Anyway. Alya and Chloé are leading the charge. Max and Kim created some training regimens – which some of them have apparently been following anyway – Alix and Nathanaël are coordinating teams and combinations. It's actually a pretty decent system thrown together so quickly."

 _It only makes sense. But I'm not worried about most of them. Nathanaël probably wouldn't get into a fight he can't handle. Max and Sabrina said yesterday that they're only support…_ "Who's actually going to fight?"

"Kim, Alix, Ivan, Alya, and Chloé. Max, Nino, and Sabrina will also be on the ground. That's not including Adrien, of course."

 _So many… All because I can't do it myself._

"They're all trying to make their teams as ready as possible. Chloé even gave Alya a fire stone for Growlithe. And we've had a couple evolutions besides."

"Shinx?" Marinette guessed. Alya's shinx had been close to evolving for a while, it wouldn't have been surprising for it to happen with rigorous training like she was no doubt doing.

"Yep. Her, and Sabrina's grumpig."

"That was fast. Did they start training last night after they left?"

"Mhmm. It's Kim, Max, and Alix's turn today. They're cycling so two teams are always ready, not tired from training."

"Smart."

"We thought so."

Marinette's eyes drifted to the side table, where her pokéballs and Mega Stone were carefully arranged in rows. "Juleka, can you do me a favor?"

Juleka shifted in her seat, leaning a bit more over her as she tilted her head in interest. "Of course. What do you need?"

It hurt, but Marinette reached over and picked up Mawile's pokéball. "It's a long shot. I know it is, but I have to at least try, and I know Mawile wants to." She took Juleka's hand and put the pokéball in it. "Give her to Alya. Or Adrien, or Nino, anyone. Let them at least try to use mega evolution."

The ball rolled a bit in Juleka's palm when Marinette let go of it. "Marinette…"

"If one of them can do it, it will change everything. I'll feel so much better about them going out there, and at the very least, Mawile has experience out there. She'll be able to help, even if the mega evolution doesn't work."

"They have their own pokémon, Marinette. They're strong, too."

"I know. I know, I just… at least try. If they can't do it, then you can bring her back. Please."

Juleka's eyes were clouded and her brow furrowed. She worried her lip as she gazed down at the pokéball in her hand. "Okay. Though if Alya really can unlock mega evolution, Adrien is going to be feeling really useless."

"Just because- ah!" Marinette had, in her excitement, tried to sit up, and immediately regretted that decision. "Ow."

"Mar-"

"I'm fine." She waved Juleka's worrying off. "Just because Adrien hasn't figured out mega evolution yet, that doesn't make him useless. He's no worse for not using it."

Juleka sighed. "Obviously. I know that, but he…"

"If that happens and he starts feeling down, you drag him in here so I can smack some sense into him."

"Didn't the doctor say no heroics?"

Marinette chuckled, and clutched her belly. "Didn't I say not to make me laugh? Ow…"

"Sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's okay." She closed her eyes. For a long time, they both were quiet. "Hey, Juleka?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I a bad person?"

"Wha- How… What could possibly make you think that?"

"I know that Ladybug is this big symbol or whatever, but right now I'm more relieved than anything else. And I know how bad it is out there, and I'm still letting my classmates, my best friend, walk into it because I'm not strong enough to do it myself."

She felt Juleka take her hand and squeeze it tightly. "You were strong enough to do it for like a month, Marinette."

"Is that all? It feels like so much longer."

"And being injured is not the same as not being strong enough. Because if you could, you would be out there, making sure that Alya and everyone else doesn't have to be." Marinette heard her breath, a steady cadence cascading like her hair down to Marinette as she leaned over her. "And there's never any shame in being relieved to stop fighting. Even if the fight isn't over. You've done your part, Marinette. You can rest. Let us make sure that you're resting in peace."

"Oh, please don't make it sound like I'm dead."

Juleka chuckled. "Sorry. You know what I meant."

"Yeah, I do." She squeezed back on Juleka's hand. "Thank you."


	32. Diffidence

Sunday, October second. For the first time since Mylène's aggron lost control, Adrien didn't even turn on the television. He didn't need to. His own survival the day before was nothing short of miraculous, how Nathanaël had pulled them out with his furret's Protect shielding the three of them from the debris as they made their escape. Later he learned that the police and a team of kadabra were working to evacuate the building that collapsed. Luckily, they managed to get most people to safety, but the building was Hotel Richissime. It was nearly always booked and its massive size meant that a lot of people weren't as lucky as Adrien was.

If it had been a smaller building, perhaps, or if they had figured out a way to stop the steelix quicker – or at all (he thanked every deity that even might exist that Alix was there to follow through on destroying that infernal device that caused so much destruction) – then maybe this wouldn't have been the first mega with a body count.

That day, the one just following the attack, Adrien had no idea how many people lost their lives. It could have been one or a hundred. He didn't know their names, either. All he knew was that it was too many. He wanted to do something. To get out in the streets. But his classmates were right, they'd be more efficient, more effective, by working together and keeping to their schedule. His training day wasn't until the morrow, and there wasn't even anything he could tell them that they didn't already know, so all he could do was wait.

He felt angry. He felt guilty. He wanted to vomit and he wanted to hurt something. The worst part was that the crumbling hotel, the raging, blinding sandstorm, the impenetrable snake wreaking havoc wasn't even in his nightmares. He still fell from too high above the city, lights like volbeat and illumise dancing below him. He still boiled in a furnace shaped like a street, stuck his feet in a river of tar and stood paralyzed, unable even to scream, while Rocco chased after something into hell. He still drowned. But the steelix? Not a glimpse. The only new addition was the blood on his hands, and he felt even worse because he knew it didn't belong to the people that died.

Ladybug – Marinette – made him promise to make the showcase performance extraordinary. She made him promise to be fit enough to do it. But with all that happened in four weeks, Adrien was terrified about what might happen in two more. He wrung his hands in the scarf she gave him – made for him, he realized. He wasn't sure he could keep his promise.

He looked up from his notepad, at Marinette, sleeping peacefully. His heart ached, seeing her with such a sublime, angelic calm. He wished that her face, her beauty and all it contained, reflected everything outside the walls of the sterile hospital room.

Lifting his pencil, his hands still tangled in the scarf, he tried once more to work on his performance. The steps, the beat, the chords, the emotion, all of it bled from him and fell away, leaving his mind just a husk. It didn't seem appropriate. It was frivolous, pointless, a dumb façade of something good and Adrien couldn't take it. He ripped the page from the notepad and continued ripping it indiscriminately until he held little more than dull confetti. Some of it might have made it to the trash can when he threw it. He didn't really care.

The distinctive sound of a pokémon coming from its ball made Adrien lift his head. "Plagg, get back in the ball." His voice was dull, void of the fervor from the night before. He was still so tired, still so worn, but without anything to hold his focus. Plagg yowled loudly, defiantly. "Plagg!" He hissed. "You'll wake her up. Just get back in the ball."

Plagg shook nonchalantly, as if he was just shaking some water from his fur. He glanced over to Marinette for just a moment before pressing himself against Adrien's leg. Adrien hesitantly reached over to pet him. "You're not supposed to be out." The sound Plagg made in response showed just how little he cared about that sentiment. He stayed there for a while, pressed against Adrien, letting him feel his warmth, the solid muscle underneath the soft fur. And then he pulled away, meandering instead towards Marinette.

The moment Plagg's fur stopped brushing his leg, Adrien's heart jumped to his throat. He reached out, but Plagg had already moved beyond his reach.

Plagg rose onto his hind legs, his forelegs on Marinette's bed, and he leaned over to sniff at her. "Plagg, get down." Adrien said. His voice was shakier than he thought it should be.

Plagg hardly even glanced back at him to acknowledge his words. He leaned closer, and nuzzled into her cheek.

Something flared in Adrien's chest. A terror, a rage, a sorrow. "I said get down, Plagg!" He stood, his notepad and the scarf clattering and fluttering to the floor. He wrapped his arms around Plagg and pulled him off the bed with force. Plagg yowled. "You aren't even supposed to be out of the ball in here. Listen to me for once and just keep quiet and _stay off the bed_."

Plagg struggled, making a ruckus as he did so. "That's it!" Adrien found Plagg's ball and recalled him. Plagg immediately broke out. Adrien recalled him again. He broke out. "I can do this all day, Plagg." He recalled him. Plagg broke out and squeezed under the chair Adrien had earlier been sitting in, a tight fit but one that kept him very much out of the way.

Adrien sighed and pulled out his phone. It took only a moment, during which he kept a careful eye on his insufferable absol, to find Juleka's contact and start the call. "Hey, Adrien. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. She's just sleeping. Could you come over, though? I think Plagg's getting restless; I should take all the pokémon out for a bit."

There was a bit of rustling on her side of the call. "Sure, I can sit with her. Be there in a few."

"Thank you, Jules."

"How are you feeling?"

Adrien laughed. "Don't worry about me. Marinette's the one with the hole in her."

"But you're hurting too."

"Jules, don't worry about it. I'm fine, okay?"

"Adrien, I know you're no-"

"Please, just get here as quick as you can. I love you." He hung up before she could make another astute observation. _She just knows me too well._

I took a few minutes for Juleka to arrive, during which time, Adrien distracted himself by cleaning up the mess he made. He collected the notepad and scarf, brushing off the scraps of paper that clung to them. And then he set to work cleaning up all of those scraps.

When Juleka finally arrived, Adrien couldn't meet her eyes. He looked down at Plagg instead. "We're heading out, buddy. Please stay until we at least get outside?" He recalled Plagg into the ball once more, and he stayed put.

Juleka caught his arm before he could pass. "Adrien, talk to me."

"Thanks for sitting with her, Jules."

"Adrien." Her voice was stern, exasperated.

"Got to go."

He pulled, and she released him. He didn't look back. He held his arms close to his chest, wringing his hands in the scarf.

When he exited the hospital, he didn't really know where to go. His house was an appealing option, since the only one who could really bother him there was Chloé, and she was too busy conspiring with Alya to find him unless he was actually needed for something. But he didn't really want to go home, and it was true that his pokémon needed to get out. Except for Plagg and Tikki, all of them had been cooped up since he left to talk to Marinette about his stage outfit before the attack. He owed it to them to let them stretch their legs a bit. _Probably should have taken Marinette's pokémon, too. I'll have to be sure to get them some exercise later._

So, he walked, debating idly whether it was even worth it to go to the PR video studio. _It's not like I have any inspiration. But there's only two weeks left. I'm not feeling what I have anymore and I need to make it good for Marinette. I have to at least try. I can't completely start over on choreography, not unless I want to work every day until the showcase. But I can rearrange it. Try to make something I feel better about._

 _I know I probably shouldn't. "Something terrible just happened, it's natural to feel a bit disconnected from something like this." Or something like that. That's what Jules would tell me. If I change it up now I might confuse myself or Plagg or Tikki. And I still need to get used to my new outfit. But I don't know. I can't practice like this. I'm not sure I can create like this either but it's something._

He found himself inside his studio not long later. He smiled at Kivva ash she nudged his bag. "No, I'm not going to change today." _No point._ His eyes drifted over the crowd of pokémon, past Rocco's concerned look and Plagg's yawn, to the keyboard standing in the corner of the room. _I want this performance to be meaningful. I want it to connect. I can't ignore what's been happening if I want anyone, especially Marinette, to appreciate it._

He stood behind the keyboard and placed his fingers delicately on the keys. With a small smile, he looked up at all of his pokémon. In his head, a small melody began. It was gentle, almost haunting. It was melancholy and it pulled his heart away from where he stood. To the street. To Marinette. To his classmates. The quizzical looks his pokémon gave him posed the question. "Just dance," was his answer.

He set a beat, one that Nino gave him a long time ago, and he programmed the keyboard to how he wanted it, and he played. He wasn't paying special attention to it, only just enough to know what he was doing. He just let himself improvise, as his pokémon did while they danced (and he kept an eye on Rocco, to make sure he didn't overexert himself), and let out everything he had been feeling since the attacks started.

It picked up at points, excited melodies as he tickled the ivories and his pokémon jumped and laughed and played, victory and relief and camaraderie. It grew tense at points, crescendos and decrescendos and growls and flashy moves, fear and defiance. It fell at points, minor keys and a soft beat allowing a mournful piano and gentler, flowing movements to take the stage, hurt and helplessness.

It was an uncoordinated mess and everyone laughed when they bumped into each other or when Adrien pressed a wrong key or hesitated. It was a far cry from the meaningful performance Adrien wanted to end up with but he couldn't have asked for a better one.

It had been a long time since they had all just played around in the studio. Since they began getting popular, Adrien put more and more effort into perfecting the performances. They all had fun doing it, but there was something special in just playing. No real goal, no expectations, no judgement. Just a moment in which they could have fun. They needed that, then, Adrien knew. He needed that. He just felt guilty, selfish, that Marinette and Juleka and Nino and everyone else was out there doing their best while he distracted himself.

It shouldn't have worked, anyway. He couldn't think of a step for his routine when he tried but somehow he pulled out a little dance party for his pokémon. Even then, after his fingers stilled and everyone fell to the ground, laughing and out of breath and smiling, he couldn't conjure a single note for his upcoming performance. Not a single tone worth putting to paper. _Oh, well._ He stood back, watching the pokémon with fondness. _Tomorrow._

* * *

He stopped by his house before returning to the hospital. There, he let all the pokémon out and left their pokéballs in his room. Rocco wanted to go, as did Tikki, but Adrien had to tell them no. He wanted to be alone. At Rocco's apt point that he needed someone with him in case another attack happened, he obliged in slipping Tikki's pokéball alone into his pocket and absconding before one of the more obtrusive pokémon decided they had to go, too.

But no attack happened. He just walked with Tikki on his head, both of them silent. She stroked his hair and murmured quietly as they approached the hospital, but didn't put up a fuss when he returned her to her ball. And as much as he wanted to be alone on his walk, he did appreciate her company.

He knocked carefully on Marinette's door. "Come in!"

He recognized the voice. Fixing a smile on his lips, he stepped through and eyed Marinette. "You're awake!"

"Well, yeah. I wasn't in a coma."

He chuckled. "It's just good to see you so lively." He looked over to Juleka, in his chair pulled up closer to the bed than he left it. "You didn't call me?"

"You needed the break. You're welcome."

Adrien just met eyes with Marinette and shrugged. "Can't argue with that, I guess." He noticed the red tinge on Marinette's cheeks, and her bashful smile. _Right._ "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm fine no- I mean I'm fine. I just wish I could get out of bed." She chuckled nervously.

"I'd rather you stay here, where you can't hurt yourself again." He could see her taking that one step sideways, putting herself between the steelix and him as it hit the ground. _Why would she do that?_

"I could say the same for you." She muttered. "But I know you need to keep fighting."

He sighed. "Yeah."

They sat in awkward silence as he mulled over all the things he wanted to ask her. Why would she protect him like that? Will they still be able to be together, as partners and teammates and friends, if she's not fighting anymore and if he's the boy she probably has a crush on and if he isn't ready to even wonder if he might like her back? What if he got hurt the next time he fought? If he couldn't keep his promise and if her sacrifice for him ended up meaning nothing? Would she hate him? Would she be disappointed?

He owed her so much. His strength – whatever remained, anyway – his resolve, maybe his life. He had a hard time looking directly at her, as if she were the sun on a too-bright day. It didn't just hurt, it seemed as if it would damage him permanently to do so, and he didn't dare risk it. He could only stand momentary glimpses.

"Adrien," Juleka said, "now you've seen she's awake and well. Why don't you go home and get something to eat."

Marinette shifted a little. "When _is_ the last time you ate?"

Adrien shrugged. He had been at or near the hospital since Marinette was taken there, with only his venture to the PR studio as a break. He had a few small snacks but nothing substantial. Juleka stood, and moved to him. She held him close and spoke into his ear. "You're not helping her if you don't take care of yourself. Go. I'll stay with her for now."

"Okay. I know."

She took his hand and led him out of the room, closing the door before saying, "I know why you want to be here. I get it. But I could see right there that when you're here, you sink."

"I have to-"

"I know, Adrien. Of course you need to visit her as much as she needs to see you. But just let yourself have the time to… decompress. Like you did earlier. You were happy when you came back from your exercising." Adrien fidgeted for a moment, unsure how to respond. "Go eat something."

"Okay."

Juleka smiled warmly, sadly, at him, and slipped back into the room.

Turning away and leaving the hospital once more, Adrien still didn't want to go home. But after walking for a few minutes on his own, he really didn't want to be alone anymore, either.

Of course, his go-to for company would normally be Nino. Then Juleka, Alya, and Chloé. But he was sunk in his thoughts and in what had happened the day before and there was one person he needed to talk to. To check up on and to thank.

AA: hey nath, how're you feeling?  
NK: been better  
AA: yeah  
AA: I've been kicked out of mari's room and told to go eat something. wanna join me?  
NK: me?  
AA: yeah  
NK: uh, sure. I guess. Just let me know where we're going.


	33. Mawile

Marinette wasn't sure why she thought anyone would be able to mega evolve Mawile. If Adrien couldn't mega evolve Plagg, the rest of the class stood a fat chance of pulling it off with a pokémon they didn't even raise. Still, she couldn't help but hope. Hope that maybe Alya, who shared such a close connection with her, might be able to connect to Mawile in the same way. Or that Juleka, empathetic as she was, would be able to pull it off. Or that Max might figure out the secret to it. Or hell, maybe Chloé really is just as great a trainer as she makes herself out to be.

But no.

When Juleka returned the next day, she came with news that no one had been able to do it. They even tried passing Adrien's Key Stone around to mega evolve Plagg, but that ended as well as any other attempt.

Which left Marinette with nothing. Nothing to do, nothing to contribute, nothing to say. She knew the moment she was hurt that she wouldn't be able to fight anymore, and as relieved as she was to be taken off the frontlines, it still frustrated and hurt her that she couldn't do anything more than sit in bed and stay safe. Especially knowing that her friends were all going out risking their lives. She couldn't take it.

Ralts cried. Marinette put a hand over her face. "Mom, can you please take them? They shouldn't have to sit here all day just because I am. _I don't want to hurt him, but I can't just change how I feel. It's best if he goes home._

Bisharp protested. Mawile crossed her arms and pouted. Ariados watched carefully for a moment and silently returned to his pokéball. "Now, you two." Her mom said. "I understand, but you all need to clear the room soon anyway. Let's get some proper food in those bellies and we can come back tomorrow."

Her pokémon reluctantly agreed and once her mother had walked out the door, Marinette was alone.

Marinette found that alone was a bad state to be in, but she preferred it over company. At least that way she wasn't bothering anyone else. Especially not her friends, who all needed their training much more than they needed to see her.

And Adrien… the only word that came to mind was sublime, though she knew it wasn't the right one. The feeling of watching a train topple off its tracks or a tsunami washing away a city while knowing she's safe from it. Something awesome, but terrible, and impossible to look away from. She saw how he crumbled. She wondered if it was truly selfless of her to step in front of him, or if he would have been happier in the hospital bed in her place.

 _Probably._ She thought. _But I'm not selfless._ Instead, she put him through his newest torment. For her own sake. A decision made in the moment that put her where she was, and ensured – for the moment – that Adrien could perform at the Showcase. A decision that ensured – for the moment – that her design was still slated to be featured in the opening Showcase of the season. A decision that, pending another injury she couldn't be out there to prevent, ensured her name would be known, and not for being tied to Ladybug.

Which, if she were honest, made the whole decision not much of a decision at all. In fact, at the time, she had none of those thoughts in her head, nor did she truly fear for Adrien's safety. It was pure instinct, the ramifications of which and the reasons for which she had plenty of time to consider while lying in her hospital bed. She wasn't so deep in her misery to think herself such a person that the only reason for her taking the hit was for her own career – of course she cared about Chat Noir, even before she knew he was Adrien. Still, she knew herself well enough to know that she had her own selfish reasons for doing what she did, and she'd been through worse hells than knowing she wasn't perfect.

Even so, with nothing to do but simmer in her own thoughts and emotions, her shortcomings had started to nag at her.

* * *

The pidgeot mega evolved on South Boulevard that Monday, just outside the Pokémon Lab. Marinette counted three days in relative confinement as she healed, so another attack wasn't all that surprising. Not counting the time between the abomasnow and the dual attack with the manectric and houndoom, every attack had been within a week from the last one. Marinette figured that the difference was because whoever was behind it had to hit two pokémon at once, which would take more planning and more time. _Even if they tried that again, we have several teams out there now, so it would theoretically be handled better than the last one was._

Cooped up as she was, she probably wouldn't even have noticed if she didn't get the notification from the group chat. Messages flew in after the first one. Her friends saying they were on their way, or giving their location and asking if anyone was closer. She knew it would happen, knew it was coming, but watching everyone mobilize, watching them dutifully and enthusiastically meeting their new purpose head on, pulled at something in her core. It was equal parts mourning – for those who hadn't already been exposed, or who hadn't seen the worst of it, a fight like that was not something you come back from unchanged – loneliness, for though she was admittedly happy to be rid of the burden, she did feel left out when everyone else rushed to fill the gap she left – and fear.

She watched patiently as everything was figured out within minutes; the fighters for today would be Chloé and Alya with Sabrina as support. Chat, of course, would show up, but he was a bit further away and would be late. The others, all who were available, would make their way to the scene and provide backup if needed.

Marinette found a news program and saw live footage of her classmates arriving on the scene, and laughed when she saw them.

Was it fun? She wondered. Or were they trying to say something greater? Neither of the two girls seemed much the type for secret identities; both craved fame. It didn't make sense that they'd put on masks and themed outfits when there wasn't cause to. But there they were.

"And instead of the black and red heroes we've come to know, two new trainers have appeared on the scene." The announcer droned on, her voice an uninterested lilt that barely passed monotone.

Alya in orange, russet, and auburn. In a close up, Marinette saw the accents of white and black more clearly. Chloé was clothed in yellow, black, and white, not far from her usual attire, but clearly following a bee theme. She also had, curiously, a red, black-spotted ribbon in her hair.

 _To show that you're not just some random usurper, or in memoriam, I wonder? Knowing Alya, probably both. Odd that she'd have it though, I would think Alya would wear it._

"No word yet on who these young girls are. The other trainers who have helped Ladybug and Chat Noir never wore masks, could these be rookies intending on filling in for Ladybug after her unfortunate injury in the steelix attack four days ago?"

Chloé released Elizabeth, and though there was no audio – or none of good enough quality to matter – Marinette eventually did realize that in true Chat Noir fashion, Chloé was using the standard name Tyrantrum when ordering her beloved pokémon rather than her given nickname. For secrecy's sake. Or something. _Or maybe it's just another memorial._

The door to her room opened; she looked up from the broadcast on her phone. Mawile bounded into the room, followed by Bisharp and no one else. "Hey you two. Where are the others?" Mawile shook her head. "Just you two?" She nodded. "How'd you get past the front desk?" Mawile grinned sheepishly while Bisharp rolled his eyes. He held up a lanyard for visiting pokémon and handed a second one to Mawile, who slipped it over her head. He shrugged with a look that told Marinette the gist of what went down. _Shenanigans._ She shook her head. "Well, at least you handled it."

He nodded and pointed to her phone. "Yeah. I'm watching it." She looked back at the screen Luxio and Elizabeth were fighting an uphill battle, but it was impossible to say that any progress had been made for anyone. No clear damage had been done to any pokémon, and the damage to the city was minimal at best.

Bisharp sighed and took up a chair next to her, sitting at a comfortable position to watch with her. He didn't touch her, he rarely did in any significant way – mostly because his body was mostly blades – but Marinette still felt like he was there, like she could lean up against him and feel supported. Watching the battle play out, he sat still and silently, a calm and stoic observer.

Exactly what she needed.

By contrast, Mawile was bouncing on her feet, shaking the bed a little as she did so. She let out whoops and cheers and gasps and she fidgeted and growled and gritted her teeth and Marinette felt like she would be doing the same thing if such movement wasn't still prohibited. _Actually, I probably could. She's not doing calisthenics or anything. Still best safe than sorry. Staying put and healing is the only thing I can do for them right now, so I may as well do it right._

The fight continued. Alya and Chloé had the clear type advantage, but the pidgeot had so much mobility that it didn't really matter. Even their few flying pokémon, Chatot and Delia the beautifly, Sabrina and Chloé's pokémon respectively, just weren't up to the task of even slowing down a pokémon like the pidgeot. And in Delia's case, it was dangerous enough for her to even try, given the pidgeot's type advantage. Luckily for them, the pidgeot's rampage was relatively tame. It wasn't so strong as a heracross or steelix, and it didn't have massive special attacks like the abomasnow or houndoom. If anything, it was more similar to the manectric. Not a huge threat to the infrastructure, but not something you want to be in the street with. _Then, the manectric blew some fuses. This one's mostly just being annoying. Still, it's clearly in pain. If this keeps up it will end up hurting more than itself._

Despite their best efforts, Alya and Chloé didn't accomplish anything until Chat Noir arrived on the scene. Marinette grimaced at the announcer narrating the attack. _Was it always this bad? Maybe it's good I never paid much attention to it._

"And of course, with the injury that Ladybug sustained a mere four days ago, we are not expecting to see her this afternoon. As you pointed out Pat, we all still remember the horrible scene from the last time Chat Noir fought against one of these pokémon without Ladybug. Our sources say that Chat Noir's zoroark is still in his possession, and though likely still injured from a previous fight, is still probably with him right now. What would you say is the likelihood of us having a repeat of the houndoom, Pat?"

"Well, Susan, these new heroes are clearly rookies but let us not forget the young trainers who have helped Ladybug and Chat Noir before. In fact, most observers grant the victory over the manectric and the steelix to those trainers saying that without them, neither of the mega pokémon would have been stopped."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Pat, but I'm seeing here that both of those girls attend the same school, is that right?"

"I believe so, yes."

Here, the announcer's monotonous drone broke into something more passionate. "And they're high schoolers? Am I the only one asking why we need high schoolers to fight these pokémon for us? Where are the police?"

"Well, the police have stopped four previous rampaging pokémon that they believed would have mega evolved. Those devices causing the devastation are being studied and the police are quickly working towards finding the culprit behind these attacks. Once a pokémon has mega evolved, these heroes step in."

"And no one sees anything wrong with that?"

"There is precedent for it. The LCPD has a long history of working with independent trainers, and Ladybug and Chat Noir have been identified by the LCPD as trainers cooperating with them on this case."

"Thank you, Pat. We have to move on to our next guest."

"A pleasure to be here, Susan."

Adrien's plan – Marinette assumed it was his plan since it only played out after he called the three girls to a huddle and talked with them – came to bear fruit when Tikki, Chatot, and Delia managed to herd the pidgeot low enough that it had to pass straight down the street. One well timed shot from Luxio stunned the bird long enough for Elizabeth to hit it with a rock throw. Alastair, Chloé's sylveon, followed up by jumping off of Alya's kecleon, far up the side of a building, onto the pidgeot's back.

"Next we have pokémon psychologist, Doctor Richard Harrison. Doctor Harrison."

"Thanks for having me again, Susan."

"Now, last time you were here, you talked about the pokémon being used for these attacks."

"That's right. A forced evolution often has a significant and dangerous effect on the health of the pokémon in question. Forcing a mega evolution has never been recorded before, but if we examine the data we have from stone evolutions and the observations my colleagues and myself have made during these attacks, we can put together an idea of how these pokemon might be being affected."

"And how is that?"

"It's been well recorded that pokemon who evolve against their will are statistically more likely to act out violently. So much so, in fact, that the practice now falls under pokémon abuse and can be punished accordingly by law."

"And the last time we had you was before the houndoom. Can you tell us a little about Chat Noir's zoroark?"

"While unconventional, the skill displayed by that zoroark is very much within the range of the species' known abilities. It's clear that it shares a very close bond with its trainer. Quite frankly, Susan, that it struck out at the houndoom is not at all surprising and not indicative of any underlying issues."

"So there's nothing wrong with what it did?"

"Oh, I didn't say that. Acting out violently is always wrong, and I'm sure that zoroark knows it. But if a human were in its place, I doubt we would even be having this conversation."

"It's not a human, though."

"No, but zoroark are a highly intelligent species. It falls in the same class as pokémon such as lucario and slowking which have shown the capability to not only mimic human speech, but understand it. In fact, many pokémon psychologists agree that they're more similar in mind to humans than to lesser pokémon like your everyday cats. What you saw with the houndoom was no different in intention than what Ladybug did earlier this week. It was protecting Chat Noir."

"So you wouldn't advise the police to take the zoroark?"

"With no prior incidents and not a peep since? No, I wouldn't. I would advise Chat Noir to keep an eye on the zoroark. Their heroism here has surely had an effect on the mental health of both pokémon and trainer. To remove either from the company of the other I believe would be cruel and have a detrimental effect on both of them and might only lead to not only more incidents with the zoroark, but the possibility of instability from Chat Noir as well. I think the best thing for both of them is to keep them together and to allow them to cope with what they're seeing and doing in a safe and controlled environment."

Mawile cried out an aggressive agreement. Marinette smiled. Hearing that Aggron had been taken from Mylène after the first attack had been bad enough, but if Rocco were taken away to come stripped cell in a cold shelter… Marinette might break him out herself, injury or no.

Mawile clearly mirrored the sentiment. She turned to Marinette with big eyes. With "That's never going to happen" written all over her face. She fidgeted. _She's restless. She wants to help but she can't._

Marinette shook her head. _She was the one who made me do the Ladybug thing in the first place. I can't imagine how hard this must be for her._

Though Bisharp gave her support, a foundation to find her footing, Mawile was the one standing atop that foundation with her. She laughed, she cried, she pushed, and she reminded Marinette that she wasn't alone. She wasn't the only one stuck, left out.

It wasn't the happiest thought, and it didn't make her feel better about her situation, but it did make things a bit lighter. She didn't carry that feeling by herself, at least.


	34. Tikki

All of Adrien's pokémon had a story. "All pokémon have a story," Adrien liked to say. Still, like people, most didn't amount to much of interest. Stories they were, but nothing so captivating as Rocco's or even Plagg's. Allie had been given to him by Chloé, a thoughtful gift when they finally started school together. She wanted them to match, for them to be tied together by more than just their class and past. Of course, she wanted for more than that, but Adrien had always been clear with her in that regard, and she respected his decision, and respected herself enough to not stop trying. Adrien knew she would if he asked, but it felt cruel somehow, to ask her to shut that off entirely. Pretend she didn't feel anything. Even if it sometimes made him uncomfortable.

Of course when Alastair evolved, they didn't match much any longer anyway. Both from the same line, sure, but a sylveon and an eevee didn't make their teams very similar.

He got Emma the same way. Chloé helped name her, too, in a way that, like Allie, matched both their nickname schemes for their pokémon. It was more subtle that time, an amaura for her tyrantrum, but Adrien understood the purpose was the same. He didn't really mind. He thought it was cute that they had team similarities. And he thinks of her when he sees Allie or Emma and while that may have been what she wanted, he liked thinking about his friends, anyway.

Rocco's was a long story, a fun story, and Plagg's was sadder, more personal. With Kivva, he was there when she was born, and her story has been one he'd been in since the beginning. Tikki's was the only one he didn't quite understand fully.

But given recent events, with what Rocco did and with his own failure to mega evolve Plagg when it was so needed, he couldn't help but think about them. How they came into his life, changed it, shaped it.

Plagg was a grumpy, contrary crutch that Adrien could lean on when he stumbled. When something happens. A death, an attack, a fall. Good news, a party, a friend. Bad and good, Plagg kept him up so he could keep moving forward.

Rocco was a top-tier mom-friend. He made sure Adrien felt loved and made sure he knew he wasn't alone. In a lot of ways, Rocco filled the void that was left after Adrien's mom died. He didn't replace her by any means, but he helped alleviate the hurt of his dad pulling back, helped him understand, allowed him to be okay and let his dad do what he needed. Without Rocco, Adrien felt that his relationship with his father would be very different, and he feared it wouldn't have been for the better.

Tikki was less prevalent in a lot of ways, but so much more in so many tiny ones. She kept watch over the young ones, Kivva, Emma, and Allie. She picked up clutter and helped him dust or she sat on his head and buzzed her wings, tickling his ears before flying off with a giggle. She kept Plagg's grumpiness in check, making sure he didn't cause trouble for Adrien's dad and that he usually stayed out of the way when he shouldn't be somewhere.

She wasn't the one he clung to when he panicked, or the one who always stopped to remind him to smile. She was the one who made sure he had time to smile, the one who made sure he had space to breathe when he needed it. And she did it with such a calm assurance that he often took her for granted. Sometimes, he almost forgot that she was even there.

Thumbing her pokéball gently as he stood alone in an alley, the latest threat subdued with the help of the new heroes on the block, he hummed quietly. _It was a tough one. We didn't have Mawile's raw strength. We're just lucky that the pidgeot was relatively tame as far as these things go. I wouldn't have wanted to fight the abomasnow with just this team._ He shook his head. _But that's good. They've got some experience now. It's not the worst these fights have to offer, but it did open them up to it. I don't think Alya's going to forget a Brave Bird aimed at her anytime soon. And Chloé's probably going to have a similar nightmare as me. Told her not to grab onto it. Not much I can do about it now, though._

 _I hate to say it, but I don't think we can keep this up. They're trying really hard, and I'm proud of them, but what if we have another like steelix? That took the combined fighting power of Marinette, Nathanaël, Alix, and my pokémon, plus Alix directing, and we still only barely pulled it off. I'd argue we didn't even, with what we had after. We could get the whole class together but without a mega pokemon I doubt we'd do much good against another one of those. Even Mawile barely had any effect on it. And that's not even the biggest problem. We need to think of a way to counter restricted moves. Earthquake was almost entirely responsible for what happened with the steelix, and we were all helpless. If another mega comes with an Explosion or a Hyper Beam, we could have even more destruction. The only reason we got out as well as we did with the steelix is that it didn't use Earthquake until the end there. If another one decides to use such a destructive move right from the beginning, how would we get around it? Even with Mawile we couldn't force our way in, but without her… I'm not sure we could get close._

Tikki's pokéball shook gently in his hand. _I have to figure out a way to keep them safe._ He felt like he was back on that street seeing the fletchinder zoom by, seeing the little boy, barely a trainer, barely a teenager if that, staring down the raging heracross. He didn't care if they knew what they were getting into. He didn't even care if he was at all qualified to handle the situation any better than they were. He couldn't let them get hurt. Not while he was standing there. Watching. His hands sticky and warm and crimson and incompetent.

He closed his eyes, swallowed hard, and took a deep breath. _I can do it. Marinette told you that you're clever. You're supposed to be clever. So why can't you figure this out? It should be simple. One move counters another. A trap laid at the same time. Turn their attack to your advantage. But no matter what way I turn it, we're just not strong enough. Not against something like steelix. I can try all day to find the right combinations but when you're overpowered so completely… What can I do?_

 _The answer is simple I guess. Mega evolve. I need to mega evolve Plagg. Then we might stand a chance. Maybe. Even mega evolved Plagg will be more fragile than Mawile, but he will be strong. Evasion, deflection. We can do that. We've done that. But unless we can mega evolve, all we can do is dodge, and you can't win a battle that way. Not to mention Marinette's other utility pokémon. How many times has Misdreavus found the damn device in the first place? Or been instrumental in getting it off the pokémon? And Bisharp? Easily as strong as Plagg, definitely sturdier. And Ariados' web is so versatile._ He raised a hand to cover his eyes. _Losing Marinette was more than just a blow to morale. It was losing everything. We spent over a week working on combination work, all for naught. Well, not entirely, I did learn quite a bit from her. It's still frustrating to have so many plans flushed down the drain like that. She's half the team. I'm crippled here._

 _Everyone else is trying their hardest but it's not the same. I have to do a hard freaking reset and I'm not sure if that's possible anymore. More than once with that pidgeot I swore Ariados would tie up its wings or Misdreavus would pop up out of nowhere and terrify me. And the pidgeot. To make it hesitate._

 _Oh, nevermind._ He pushed off the wall and grabbed his bag. He swiped at his eyes with a cloth a few more times as he walked out to make sure all of the makeup was gone. _In some ways, having so many allies is a lot harder. I just can't think of how to work with the collective pokemon of nine different people. I can't plan. I can't make strategies._

 _Or maybe I'm just not as clever as I thought. Maybe I'm not as good of a trainer as Marinette thought I was. Maybe I'm just letting her down. Letting everyone down. Maybe it would be best if I sat out. Alix is a far more competent trainer than I am, and just as good at practical strategies. Better, probably, since mine are rooted in nothing more than looking pretty. Chloé is an amazing trainer, and she's beaten me more than a fair few times. And who can really look me in the eye and tell me Alya isn't twice the hero I am?_

 _I mean, really. Marinette and I both started doing this because it was thrust upon us. She was in the school that day. She fought to get out, not to save everyone. Or maybe not. I'd believe it. Still, she wasn't enthusiastic about the idea when we decided to keep it up. And I only wanted to buy time when I first got dragged into it. Even then! When we decided to keep fighting, it was because there wasn't anyone else who could. None who showed their faces, anyway. With the class on the case… I'm no more of a help than anyone else. I'm no more important to the team than Chloé. Why should I even bother showing up, when all it does is put the one thing I can do in danger?_

He rolled Tikki's pokéball in his fingers as he walked. Shaking his head, he chuckled mournfully. _Or the thing I could do. When am I going to actually get something together with this performance? Especially if I keep this up?_

 _Probably won't matter. What are the odds I'll be fit to perform by the fourteenth anyway. If trends keep up, that'll be two or three more attacks, and we're not going to be so lucky twice. The next one is going to be dangerous – a lot more than the pidgeot._

He stewed in his thoughts all the way home, collapsing in his desk chair and throwing his pokéballs haphazardly next to his keyboard. Considering for a moment, he released Plagg, then Tikki. He reached, briefly, for Rocco's pokéball as well, but lost his nerve before getting there.

He shook his head roughly. He let out a heavy sigh, Tikki and Plagg's gazed boring into him. He reached into his bag and dug out the Key Stone and Mega Stone. He fondled them briefly, thoughtfully, before turning to his pokémon. "We need to figure this out."

Plagg stuck out his tongue and turned away; Tikki tilted her head. "Listen, guys. You both know that we can't pull it off without mega evolution. The only reason we even survived Houndoom was because of Rocco." He bit his lip, casting his eyes towards Rocco's pokéball. "Obviously, we can't rely on that. It wasn't an okay thing to do in the first place." Plagg gave him a meaningful glance. "And I'm not even going to consider letting him out to use it in a more controlled way, no. Rocco has… things to work through. We all do. And anyway, it's a moot point because so long as we all agree that he can't go all out…" Adrien trailed off to get Plagg's affirmation. "Good. Since we agree on that, we can't risk letting him out at all. He's not healed. He can't get involved in a fight if it's not zero-risk."

Tikki nodded eagerly, Plagg a bit more warily. "So, we need to figure out mega evolution. It's the only viable solution. Even if I quit to focus on the performance, I'm just leaving my friends in a losing battle."

Tikki pointed to herself. "Ladybug?" She nodded. "We tried training it remember? She couldn't help us. She doesn't know the secret."

Plagg shook nonchalantly and vocalized something. He looked at Tikki. Some idea. Tikki nodded thoughtfully. Plagg looked more quizzical than anything else, as if he didn't actually intend for her to consider what he said.

Tikki flew up to the computer. "Okay, what are you trying to show me?" She fiddled with the mouse a little, but gave up after a few attempts. Instead she gestured to herself again. Adrien furrowed his brow. "Not Ladybug… not you?" Tikki shook her head. Pointed to one of her spots. "Ladybug themed?" She nodded. "Alya's blog?" An enthusiastic nod. Adrien pulled up the website. It had a collection of info, some Ladybug related, some on him, most on the case as a whole. Tracking the police investigation, all that was released to the public, and speculation and ideas of her own. Things she pursued on her own. Looking at it more thoroughly – less focused on attack to attack and more on her investigation – Adrien was actually impressed.

He turned to Tikki. "What about it?"

Tikki pushed the mouse around until the cursor was – almost, sort of – hovering around one word. "Devices?" Tikki nodded. "What about them?" She made a big movement with her hands, like an explosion. "Yeah, they make the pokémon mega…evolve. The secret. Whoever is making these devices knows or is trying to figure out the secret." Tikki nodded enthusiastically. "But how does that help me? That's kind of self-evident, it's not going to help the investigation."

Tikki shook her head with a little yell and scrolled down, choosing this time to just point at the picture of the pidgeot flying far above the city. "The victims?" She nodded. "You think they might be able to help us?" Another nod. Adrien frowned. "That seems unlikely. The victims were all not in the right state of mind. That's what makes them act out in the first place. Whoever's behind this isn't targeting bad pokémon. I doubt we'll get much useful help out of them. I'm not the best at interpreting you guys anyway, even you. I'm not sure I'd understand a thing another pokémon tried to tell me. Not anything so complicated, anyway."

Tikki pointed to Rocco's pokéball. Which, Adrien had to admit, was a great idea. "Still," he said, "what do you plan to learn from them if we find them? You really think they'll be able to tell us anything Mawile couldn't?"

Tikki buzzed. "…We did ask Mawile about mega evolution, right?" A shake of the head. Adrien sighed. "Well, that's one step to take, I guess. Most likely she won't be able to tell us anything that Marinette couldn't, though." Tikki shrugged. "Better than nothing. Keeping as we are clearly isn't getting us anywhere, so we may as well, right?" Tikki nodded and gestured again to the screen. "What about it?"

She made a broad gesture. "The whole blog?" She threw a pen at him. "Alya?" She bounced. "Yeah, I'll get Alya in on this, too. If anyone can pull something from it it's got to be her."

Tikki threw his phone at him. "Right now? Really?" A nod. "We won't have much time. I thought we'd just start tomorrow." Tikki frowned. "Fine, fine. I'll text the girls."

AA: Alya, you up to visit Mari rn?  
AC: um always y?  
AA: I'm gonna get Rocco to ask Mawile about mega evolution.  
AC: we havent done that yet?  
AA: not that I remember.  
AC: well damn  
AC: meet you at maris room in 20  
AA: I'm gonna invite Juleka and Nino too.  
AC: might be crowded  
AA: Tikki wants to ask the other victims too.  
AA: I've no clue where they might be if Mawile doesn't pan out.  
AA: probably want the team.  
AC: u realize "the team" is the whole class and not just us right  
AA: the team I trust most.  
AA: minus Chlo. just bc I know she doesn't get along with Marinette.  
AA: I'll probably still text her for help if we do have to find these guys.  
AC: theyre not that bad anymore  
AC: chloes cool  
AC: sort of  
AC: in her way  
AA: anyway I gotta text Nino and Jules.  
AC: yeah i need to get ready l8ter dude


	35. Investigate

With the Pidgeot situation closed, Marinette was expecting some sort of notification. A text, maybe a call, with an update. Heroes' laughter and jubilation and celebration and relief and maybe a voice would break unexpectedly and maybe it wouldn't be hers. She didn't expect anyone to visit. Well, not any more than usual.

There was, typically, one of her friends with her during visiting hours. They'd switch every so often. Faces changed every hour, or couple hours. Not since the beginning did she find herself with more than three people in the room, and yet, quite unexpectedly, she found herself with five. With pokémon, nine. But most weren't there for her.

Rocco appeared to chew his lip. He shifted uncomfortably and hunched over to appear small. Marinette wondered why, when what she was seeing – the dark skinned boy who looked like he could be a model alongside Adrien – was just an illusion to start with. It didn't make sense to her why he wouldn't hide those emotions. Why he didn't look happy.

Mawile sat on the end of her bed, eyeing Rocco and mulling over the question. She swung her legs and her huge jaws swayed behind her like a plant in a draft. She growled quietly, deep in her throat, and vocalized an answer.

Adrien twiddled his thumbs, twisted a ring, folded, unfolded his arms, bounced on his feet. His eyes travelled the room. The ceiling tiles. The flowers on her bedside table. Her. Juleka. Tikki. An almost, half-glance at Bisharp. The floor between Rocco's feet. He jumped when Rocco turned to him. Closed his eyes a fraction too long for a blink. Lifted his head to read the message Rocco's illusory fingers wrote.

Juleka furrowed her brow. She raised a hand to shiny lips and kissed her knuckle. She leaned, all her weight on one foot. Her eyes were a magnifying glass, trained on something she needed to examine. Something which contained some clue she had yet to identify. She tilted her head, reading Rocco's hands, but still searching.

Bisharp was razor blades. His eyes sharp and cutting as he stared down Rocco. Chloé. His mind working, sorting pieces of a puzzle while adding new ones. Trying to understand whether they even create the same picture.

Nino adjusted his glasses, his cap, his shirt. He looked at the room more than the people. He shook his head and breathed and listened and tried to sort out what to do with what Adrien said.

"We evolve." Said with a shrug from all three voices.

Chloé scowled, turned up her nose, rolled her eyes. She complained. A justified one; how do those two words help anyone? How could they help Adrien? No one is any closer to figuring out the secret than they were when they walked in the room. Useless. Pointless. A waste of time.

Tikki cocked her head. She twisted Adrien's hair passively, not tight enough to hurt, just playing. She stuck out her tongue and tapped the crown of Adrien's head. She shook her head. The meaning was lost.

Alya scribbled in a notepad. She furrowed her brow and bit her tongue and she tapped her foot and looked up every fourth of a second to make sure she didn't miss anything. She smiled, not from solving the puzzle but from looking upon the challenge.

Marinette didn't give them any better answer, when they asked, when she tried to coach Chat Noir. She didn't know. How do you mega evolve? You just do. You touch the stone and you say the words and it happens. We evolve.

"You can't think of anything else?" Adrien asked. Pleaded.

Mawile shrugged, murmured an apology.

"Is that – 'we evolve' – a word-for-word thing," Alya asks Rocco, "or are you interpreting the meaning, too?"

"That's the meaning." Rocco signs. Juleka says.

"How specific is that?" Alya asks. Rocco tilts his head, not sure what to say. "Like, 'evolve', I assume is referring to the mega evolution itself." Rocco nods. "And is the plural 'we' coming from her or you?" Rocco furrows his brow and points to Mawile before signing some more.

"She said that they both evolve. Her and Marinette."

"Interesting. Mari?"

Marinette shrugged. "I don't know. I've told you everything I can several times." She looks at Adrien only. "You feel it, but it never felt like I was calling for it. I touch the Key Stone and ask her to and Mawile evolves."

"But what about you?" Asked Chloé. "What does it feel like?"

Marinette frowned. "I don't know. Like my heart flutters, or something. Light, tense."

Adrien tapped his foot, shook his head. "I'm sure it probably can't be described. And this won't help, anyway. She said she never calls for it. She told me earlier that she doesn't try to do it."

"Maybe you're overcomplicating it?" Nino suggested. "Thinking too much?"

"The attempts while not thinking have come and gone, dude. That's what we did when we first got the stone. Before we really needed it."

"Maybe you need to need it."

"Well, I thought I needed it. The only way I'd need it more is mid-battle and I have a hard enough time staying alive without trying that while dodging crazy megas."

Juleka lowered her hand and gesticulated with it. "I think we need to figure out where the problem is. With you, or Plagg, or both. Without knowing that, we're shooting in the dark."

"How do you suggest we figure that out?" Chloé scoffed.

"The victims. Good idea, Tikki, by the way. The victims are pokémon, known to be capable of mega evolution."

Alya pitched in. "To our knowledge, no pokémon that isn't recorded as having a mega form has been targeted. It's possible the devices just don't work on them, though, and it hasn't come up."

"Right. In the cases you guys got involved in, they also actually did mega evolve."

Adrien shook his head. "But they were being driven crazy. And they were hurting."

"I know. But if we assume that whoever's behind this has at least gotten the pokémon side of the equation figured out, we can look at the circumstances of the victim pokémon and figure out if Plagg fits. If he does, we have no reason to think he's not actually capable of it, or in no state to do it, and we know that the block is on your side."

Alya shook her head. "We'd be making some pretty big assumptions, but they do make sense. In pain and crazy they may be, but those pokémon did mega evolve. It's possible that for it to go smoothly, it needs the trainer. Until now, we haven't heard of pokémon mega evolving without people in the first place."

Chloé paced impatiently. "So how do we find the victims? The police won't release the records."

"Maybe they would," Nino said hopefully, "to someone who's technically partnered with them in the case?"

Adrien shook his head. "No. That's just an excuse to let us handle the megas. We've never been really involved past what we hear from you."

"Then we'll find them on our own." Alya said. "It started with Mylène's aggron, right? She's easily reachable. He never mega evolved, but maybe you can talk to him anyway while I work on the next one."

Adrien shuddered. "Right. Chlo, why don't you help her? Your connections might help."

"I'll have them found by tomorrow."

"Jules, Nino, will you come with me when we talk to Mylène?"

"'Course, dude."

"Whenever you need."

"When should we do it?"

Alya put a hand on his shoulder. "Call Mylène now. Go as soon as you can. We don't know when the next mega will show up. Hasn't happened since then – police have managed to stop it – but Aggron and Heracross were consecutive days, remember?"

"Right. I'll send her a text."

While Adrien pulled out his phone, Alya turned to Chloé. "Is there any chance you can get the records of who in the city has pokémon with mega evolved forms?"

"I can try, but that's pushing it even for me. Daddy doesn't even have that without going through loads of paperwork first, and not without good reason."

"That's fine; don't bother him. I didn't really expect it." She rubbed her chin for a moment.

Marinette thought about the broadcast during the pidgeot attack. "What about pokémon with behavior problems? Any violent outbursts are put on public record, aren't they?"

Alya snapped her fingers. "Behavior problems… On the news, a pokémon psychologist said that…"

"Pokémon forced to evolve are more likely to act out violently." Marinette said. "Surely you can find a list of incidents with violent pokémon. If an abomasnow appears after last month, or something like that, you might have a lead."

"Assuming the police don't cover it up because they're related to the ongoing case. They can do that."

"Maybe."

"But they probably wouldn't. It would cost too much to try and cover any proceeding incident with all of these pokémon. If any have acted out since, there's a good chance we'll find them. You're a genius, Mari. Chloé, do you think you can get that list?"

"I already have it." She held up her phone. "It's all public."

Adrien backed away to the door. "Sounds like you guys have that handled. Mylène said we can go over now, so we'll leave you to it, okay?"

"Of course, Adrien. We'll have the next one locked down when you get back."

Adrien chuckled weakly and trailed his gaze over to Marinette. "It doesn't hurt?"

Marinette almost laughed. _What doesn't? Watching everyone get you infinitely closer to mega evolution than I was ever able to? Watching them save the city without me? Watching you all come together while I'm sitting in bed? The wound hurts too, yeah. At least there's painkillers for that._ She said, "Not too bad."

Adrien smiled and retreated, followed by Rocco, Nino, and Juleka.

"Mari," Alya said, "could you bring this up on your laptop?"

She reached over and pulled her laptop close, typing in the website so everyone could see. On the screen, the locations of pokemon with a history of violence showed up on an interactive map of the city. Marinette zoomed in to just Central Lumiose.

Alya's pen flew across her pad. "I see… three houndoom, yikes. Looks like two of those are wild, huh. A manectric and a heracross. Does it say when they were registered?"

Chloé leaned over Marinette, brushing aside her hand surprisingly gently as she made for the trackpad. She tapped on the manectric. "Last incident," she read, "September fourteenth."

"Over a week before the manectric was mega evolved. That was the last week in September." Alya said.

"So, not this one." She moved the cursor to the heracross. "September twenty-seventh."

"Within the time frame. Heracross was only the second victim."

"This site only shows repeat offenders. Looks like this one has multiple marks on its record."

"Does it say when it started?"

"No."

"Mark it as a maybe, then." Alya starred the information on her notepad and scribbled some more. The location.

"Houndoom, Houndoom, and Houndoom." Chloé clicked her tongue. "One of them is well before it mega evolved. This one… has a lot of marks."

"Let me see." Alya pushed in close to Marinette's other side. "Yeah. Maybe too many. It was only a week ago."

"This one?"

"Seems possible. That one's wild, isn't it?"

Chloé hummed. "Yeah."

"Might be hard to track down." She wrote down the location of both of the houndoom, anyway. "Zoom out." Chloé did. "Check out that one."

"The abomasnow?" She clicked on it. "Seems far away."

"It's the only one even remotely close, and if it has a trainer, it's not unlikely that they might have come near the central city. That one was along the river, remember? It's not an unpopular road."

"The river…" Chloé muttered.

Alya sighed. "No luck. Too far back."

"Hang on. There's an abomasnow at our hotel."

"Wait, what?"

"It's right along the river; I saw an abomasnow in the hotel. Its trainer is some famous guy in Sinnoh, I think."

"Are they still there?"

"I don't know, but I can get to the records without anyone seeing."

"That's perfect."

Marinette watched the two work, wondering why she was sitting sandwiched between them. _Well, they clearly don't need my help anymore._

* * *

Marinette received updates as the hours passed. Once Alya and Chloé had taken off in pursuit of some lead, she was left alone with only Mawile and Bisharp again. She looked at them and sighed, shaking her head. Mawile mimicked her, shrugging and grinning, exasperated. Bisharp just looked on the both of them with fondness and chuckled.

"Nothing interesting from Aggron." Nino reported over the phone. "Dude remembers it, sort of, and man if all of them are like this I'm not sure I want to keep hearing these. It's just Rocco figuring out what he means but it's still freaking terrible. If we have to talk to a pokemon like Rocco or your bisharp, you know, the really really smart ones, I'm not sure I'd be able to hear it."

"I don't think any of those have mega evolved."

"Thank god."

"Your worst bet might be houndoom. At least as smart as Plagg, right? In general. I know Alya and Chloé have a lead on that one."

"Aw, not a puppy."

"That puppy almost killed your best friend."

"All dogs are puppies, no matter how fierce. I will admit that it was a bad boy, that day, but you will never get me to lose belief in the inherent good boy-ness of puppers."

Marinette laughed.

"Anyway, that's all I really had to say. I was just letting you know. I'm not feeling very good about this, and not because the stories are terrible. Or I guess sort of. We asked him what it felt like, right? But basically all we got out of him was that it hurt. If the others say the same thing, we won't make any progress with this."

"It's okay. We know it hurts them. Just listen for anything that might give a clue. Think about what Alya would do."

Nino chuckled. "Ha, yeah. What would Alya do? Probably figure everything out from the freaking person Rocco talks in. 'Oh, yeah, he told us that in third person. It's obviously all because Plagg is a grumpy little mess and can't be bothered to save the world if his life depended on it.'"

"Admit it, it was a good observation."

"It was, it's just still stupid how much she can pull out of a few words. Really, she should be with Rocco, hearing these stories. I'm not much help here."

"You help Adrien." The line was quiet for a moment. "Why do you think he chose to bring you and Juleka?"

"Because Alya's a genius and Chloé has connections so they're the best for finding the other pokémon."

"Seriously, Nino."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." He sighed. "Sorry. You're right. He was probably more bothered by it than I was. Plus, I don't think he's super comfortable around Rocco again yet."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They're getting better but… it might be the topic."

"It's understandable. Rocco has to talk a lot about things Adrien doesn't want to associate with him."

"Yeah. I'll try and make sure they stay square."

"I'll have to leave it to you, but please. You know how important Rocco is to him."

Nino chuckled. "Probably more than us, honestly. Those two were inseparable outside school."

"Take care of him."

"Yeah, yeah." His voice grew teasing. "I'll make sure your boyfriend comes through."

"Nino… not you, too."

"Sorry girl, you know Alya tries to make me help set you up like every other week."

"And you're wise to stay out of it."

"As much as I can. Truth is-"

"I don't want to hear, Nino. I know."

A pause. "I wouldn't set you up anyway. I don't think Adrien's in any place for a girlfriend. He'd only end up hurting you. That's nothing he's said, just what I think."

"To tell you the truth, I think the same is true for me."

Another pause, longer this time. "For most of us. Maybe once this case is solved."

"Maybe."

He sighed. "Well, I'm looking forward to that day."

"I have a hard time believing it'll even come."

"Not with that attitude it won't. Come on, smile for me?"

"You can't see that I'm not smiling."

"I can hear it."

Marinette shook her head and smiled. "Can you really?"

"There it is."


	36. Clair de Lune

Adrien almost couldn't believe the search for the mega pokemon. They had started with a grand total of four leads for only three different megas. It struck him hard and fast just how few they've really stopped. _Not even two a week for only about a month. Not counting Aggron, we've only had to fight five. It felt like so much more._

He kicked the ground as he walked. _Abomasnow is a possibility. Heracross was a bust. Without more information from Chloé, the only thing to pursue are those houndoom._ He pulled out his phone to check the time. _It's getting late. We've been walking around here for hours. I should probably call it, try again tomorrow._

AA: Alya, I don't think we're going to find it tonight.  
AC: nonsense dont b pessimistic  
AC: weve got at least 10 minutes of sun left  
AA: exactly?  
AC: where r u  
AA: alleys behind restaurant le wow.  
AC: can u loop through rogue plaza before heading home  
AC: like plaza, centrico, then down ur street  
AA: rouge sure I guess. thats the way I came though.  
AA: the others?  
AC: ill tell em were stopping  
AC: if thats how u came go down hibernal instead  
AA: sure. no one got anything?  
AC: still waiting on bee  
AC: chloe that is  
AC: the abomasnow is still there but shes tryin 2 confirm its the right 1  
AC: jules mentioned people around hibernal were talking about a wild houndoom  
AC: but u and her are both looking around there so :/  
AC: and nino already told u how our end w heracross went  
AA: yeah.  
AC: so no not really  
AC: well get em soon tho  
AA: maybe.  
AC: we will! go on get some sleep u deserve it  
AA: so do you. you did well today with pidgeot.  
AC: u 1 the battle tho  
AC: i still have a lot to learn  
AC: but ill get em next time  
AA: hah I'm sure you will.  
AA: I'll message you if I find something omw home  
AA: otherwise, good night 3  
AC: night night lil kitty 3333

Adrien pocketed his phone, turning around once more. He stood at the edge of that alley several times during the search. It opened much further up Hibernal Avenue than where the houndoom attacked, but just knowing it was around the corner put Adrien on edge. Surely, he thought, the scars would still be visible. Glass would have been cleaned up, but he might happen across some reminder. Buildings with dark wounds sealed with plywood. Maybe the asphalt would be uneven and warped, perhaps it might even have their footprints in it, a choreograph of a battle Adrien performed the encore for in his dreams. Maybe a newspaper stand or a light pole would retain the black char, or the vestiges of it.

Most of the other locations, their school, Autumnal Avenue, the riverside on his path from home to school, he was fine at. He hadn't had any reason to try Northern Avenue since the steelix, but the thought of checking it out didn't frighten him as much as Hibernal Avenue did.

He closed his eyes. Walking back onto that street, with the memory as fresh as only the previous night, or whenever he actually managed to sleep last, was like walking straight back into hell. It wasn't that the houndoom was any worse than the others, not particularly. True, his arm still prickled and the ugly scar from the burn would probably stay with him all his life, but he came much closer to death in almost every other fight. _Falling, freezing, crushed. Yikes. Makes me wonder if burning really is how I'm supposed to go._ It was mostly that the scene, lines of fire crawling up buildings, snaking across the ground. His shoes sinking into the tar, slowing him down, making him vulnerable. The houndoom, who looked like it belonged, the piercing, haunting howl that echoed in his ears even then. But worst of all, the houndoom curled up unnaturally, stiff and crying and writhing because even it didn't truly belong there. How Rocco looked with rage in his eye, embers floating up and meeting the rain that flattened his fur to make him look so scrawny and wild, less like a pokémon and more like a wraith.

His arm stung, his throat burned. _If hell is real, I can't imagine it's so different from that._ He rubbed at his neck to remind himself that it was just a relatively warm October evening and not anything more. Not even particularly warm in the first place. Chilly, if anything. He tugged at his overshirt, adjusting the sleeves and wrapping it around himself with a little hug. _Think about Juleka instead. You've gone down this street a thousand times visiting her._

 _I wonder if it bothers her. She can't miss this place. She didn't fight, but she saw the worst of the carnage._

He sighed, shaking his head and taking a step forward. _I don't think that's what you meant when you said to think about her. Arceus, I'm a mess._ He stepped onto the street. He looked left, caught sight of Juleka's apartment building, looked right, saw the familiar path he'd tread so many times. Cars lined the street, buildings towered on either side of him. No houndoom. No flames. _Not too bad._

Hurrying down the street, he kept careful watch around him. The houndoom was a ghost. He passed the scene of the battle, saw the dents in the asphalt and the scorch marks. Fresh, clean cars lingered in the area, breaking the illusion that the battle was anything but long done. People still worked to repair some of the damage to the buildings. Construction equipment lay abandoned, its work done for the day, to resume some other time. But nothing but those echoes gave any clue as to whether the houndoom was in the area.

Adrien turned away from the scene, continuing home to go rest. Flames continued to lick the dark whenever he closed his eyes, though.

* * *

The next day, Chloé had news on the abomasnow. It was definitely the one that mega evolved, but its trainer doesn't think it's a good idea to talk with it. He wants to get it back to Sinnoh, back to the cold and the snow.

Everyone agreed that talking to the trainer would do well enough. They didn't want to push the issue. He was clearly stressed, he pulled at his collar and fanned himself as if the climate was as warm for him as his abomasnow. He shook his head and told them that abomasnow still hadn't recovered.

"That's why I need to get him back to Sinnoh." He said. "Being at home will help."

"But what happened exactly?" They had asked. "What did it feel like for him?"

"It hurt him. A lot. We've done league battling, but I've never seen anything like this." He shook his head, helpless. "Not like a 'bam' kind of thing, not like what he did to that poor zoroark." Adrien had closed his eyes and grit his teeth and had to remind himself that the trainer didn't know "that poor zoroark" was in a pokéball in Adrien's pocket at that very moment. "Like the worst migraine you've ever had multiplied, and it never goes away. I told the police, too, but it seemed like it got worse over a couple hours or so. He didn't think anything was really wrong until he couldn't think straight anymore. He just needed it to stop."

They all had looked at each other and considered what they learned. Something new about how the devices worked. Nothing new on mega evolution.

"Hey, kids, remember to keep me anonymous, okay? I really don't want Abomasnow to get swamped, especially not now."

"Of course." Alya had said. "We're sorry for digging you up. I know you don't want to talk to reporters."

"It's okay. More for his sake than mine, anyway. Is that all?"

Alya licked her lips and examined her notes. "Truth is, we're here for more than just your testimonial."

"Really? What are you here for, then?"

"We hoped that your abomasnow might help us figure out how to use mega evolution."

The trainer furrowed his brow, the brain behind his eyes working like a machine, piecing together their motivations. Who they were. "Oh." He had said. "I'm sorry, I don't think we can help you. I don't think I'd let him mega evolve if we could, and all I could understand out of him when we were talking about it is that he felt powerful. That's why he fought. You know. Why have that power if it couldn't stop the hurting? Or something like that. He's still kind of uncomfortable with it, so I'm not sure how well I interpreted him."

Everyone's eyes turned to Adrien. His turned to the ground. _Powerful. That's a bit self-evident, too. At least it's an insight into the mind of the pokémon we're fighting. It might make it harder to do it, but it still feels right to try to understand them._

They had left the man after a few more questions without asking again to see the abomasnow. So much learned, but not for what they needed.

"That leaves Houndoom." Alya said.

"Hibernal Avenue." Chloé said.

"It's our only clue. The location that website gave us is right on Hibernal too, so there's a good chance it's the same one."

"There was that other houndoom, though."

"Of course we need to look into that one, too. Adrien, Juleka, and I should go to Hibernal and look for it, since it seems like the most likely one. You take Nino and check out the other one."

"Why should I go for the unlikely one?"

"Chloé, girl. Adrien, obviously, Juleka lives there so she's obviously the best one to have, and I can get the rundown reporter-style if we actually find it. If you have a prepared list of questions and follow-up questions then be my guest, go with them."

Chloé considered Alya's reasoning and begrudgingly conceded, sweeping Nino away as she set off to finish her task before Alya's team could.

Returning to Hibernal Avenue was easier that time. Maybe it was because he'd seen it already and knew what to expect, or maybe it was because Juleka intertwined their hands and he had her and Alya to lean on. Either way, the search continued once more and once more progress evaded them.

"It's actually pretty likely that it avoids people when it can." Juleka said, when they met at their rendezvous for the fourth time. "Especially after the incident."

Adrien dragged his hands down his face. "I would too. But what can we do about it?"

"If searching for it doesn't work, we let it come to us." Alya said.

"Would it do that?"

"I don't know." She frowned, thinking. "We'd need some way to attract it."

"If it avoids people, how did it get such a record for its behavior?" Adrien asked. "It must be forced to contact us at some point, right?"

"You're exactly right. Most likely, it's food. But how could we convince it to come to us instead of rooting in dumpsters or something?"

Adrien bit his lip. "Special pokémon food."

"What?" Alya tilted her head, furrowed her brow.

Juleka smiled. "That's right. You have some on you, don't you?"

"Always."

"Specially made for dark types." Juleka explained to Alya. "It won't necessarily attract it, but its definitely a more appetizing meal than anything it'd find in a dumpster."

"Pretty pungent, too. I have to keep it sealed up tight when it's not meal time. But all pokémon have their own tastes, too. It's made to be good for dark types, and they generally like it, but there's still the chance the houndoom will run for the hills at a whiff of the stuff."

Alya tapped her chin. "Bunker down in Rouge Plaza and try it. There aren't many people there, right?"

"None, last we passed."

"Good. Juleka and I will keep searching. Sound good?"

For a brief moment, a panic of "what do I do if it actually comes and you're not there" passed through Adrien, but he pushed it down. "Cool with me."

Juleka agreed, and they parted once more. He found his way to the empty plaza, found a nice place to sit on the closer side, and pulled the food out of his pack. "If this works, I'll either kiss you or kill you, Plagg." He opened the bag, pulled out the tin. "Depends how this turns out." He uncapped the tin.

The worst part of sitting alone in the plaza with a tin of pokemon food? All the wild pokémon he wasn't looking for. Poochyena and alolan rattata and meowth and a few purrloin all showed up for a bite. By the time the sun went down, he hardly even noticed because he was too busy with them to focus on anything else.

He did enjoy it. A lot. _I'm going to have to do this later with a lot more food. It's too bad I can't give them much. If it all gets eaten, then there's no chance of attracting the houndoom._ Every once in a while, he had to close the tin completely, but for the most part the pokémon were content with a few scraps and a bit of play. His phone buzzed, and he had to push a particularly friendly stunky off of him to reach it.

JC: We're getting ready to go home for the night. You done?  
AA: I'll sit here a bit longer.

He sent her a picture of the small crowd of pokemon around him and climbing on top of him and waited for her teasing reply. He looked up, seeing the moon shining bright overhead. _It is late. Dad might get worried if I stay out too much longer. I'll text him just to be safe._

When Juleka texted him back, he confirmed with her that he was just going to finish handing out the food and then let his dad know where he was and that he might be late coming home, sending the picture for good measure. His dad, for all his faults, wouldn't get angry at him for this. He might insist on a bath the moment he got home, warn against it because who knows what diseases those street-dwellers have, but he wouldn't get angry.

With that done, Adrien put his phone away and started to let the pokémon have access to the last of the food. And then, creeping out of the shadows, was a houndoom.

Adrien froze. A litten tumbled off his shoulder. He swallowed the lump in this throat and watched closely as the houndoom approached. Slowly. Cautiously. It slinked closer, its horns and white stripes glowed eerily in the moonlight. Like its bones were outside of its body. Its nose twitched. It got closer.

Adrien was afraid to move, equally of scaring the creature off and scared of the creature. But its eyes were not angry, not hurting. Its eyes were curious, probing. Hungry, but not for anything more than its next meal.

Slowly, slower than Adrien thought he even could move, he took a bit of the food from the tin and reached out, toward the houndoom. It shrunk back. He got to his knees, placed the food as far from him as he could, watched the other pokémon avoid it. Avoid the houndoom. It looked like they were as afraid of it as he was.

The houndoom stayed low, unthreatening or maybe ready to pounce, and crawled towards the food. It sniffed it once, twice, and scarfed it down. It licked its chops, looking eager for more. Sniffing, searching.

Adrien took some more and held it out, waiting still as a statue for the houndoom to approach him. All the other pokémon seemed to have the same thought.

It did approach, slowly. It seemed an eternity before its wet nose nudged Adrien's fingers. He swore his heart stopped beating. The houndoom sniffed a little more, hesitated, passed up the food to sniff at Adrien's arm, where his sleeve and some bandages covered his burn. The houndoom whined, high pitch and quiet, and licked his arm gently. Adrien smiled. He set down the tin in front of him and used his free hand to reach for the houndoom. Slowly as ever, he touched the houndoom's head and ran his hand along it. "It's okay." He said. "It wasn't your fault."

The houndoom licked once more at his sleeve, and then took the offered food from Adrien's hand. That seemed to be the breaking point, as all the other pokémon started pestering him again, dragging his attention in all directions as they all vied for the last bit of the food.

He laughed. "Okay, okay. But share, please?" Finally, he offered the whole tin. To their credit, the pokemon did divvy up the last of the food pretty fairly. He shook his head. With that managed, he focused on the houndoom.

 _I'm not sure if I should try tonight. Introducing Rocco to it might not be good for either of them right now. I'll come back soon, maybe tomorrow, and try again. It's too wary of me right now to try anything like that._

He grinned when the houndoom got a little more of the food and laid down within reach of him to eat it. Carefully, Adrien pet it, and looked it over more closely. _Not so scary now. Seems like a good boy, actually._ Minutes passed, and Adrien allowed himself to pet the houndoom a bit more roughly. "Yeah, you're a good boy, aren't you?" Houndoom's tongue lolled out of his mouth and he licked Adrien's hand. His tail wagged. "Yes you are. You are a good boy."


	37. Fools Rush In

"You found it?" Alya screeched. "Why didn't you text us?! Did you ask it about mega evolution?"

Marinette chuckled as Adrien squirmed under Alya's intense gaze. "No," he said, "I thought he might panic if I brought Rocco out, so I wanted to give him time to get comfortable with me first. I just played with him a bit before I had to go home. Since I wasn't going to question him, I didn't think I needed to bother you guys."

Nino clapped Adrien on the shoulder. "He's right, girl. With a wild pokémon, we need to be careful, especially since we know it has a record. Too much at once might make it freak out and attack one of us."

"Not to mention," Juleka said, "he might not be happy to see Rocco again."

Alya groaned. "You're right. Sorry. We need to take this slowly. You have more of that food, Adrien?"

He scoffed. "Like an infinite supply of the stuff."

"Good. We need to plan out how to do this. Too slowly and we're wasting time before the next attack. Too quickly and we'll scare him away."

"How about one at a time?" Marinette suggested. "Or, add one by one."

"That'll take forever."

"Not if it's just Adrien and Rocco. That's only two nights." Alya stopped to consider it. Adrien worried his lip. "Would you be okay with that, Adrien? I'm sure we could spare one more night if you need someone else."

Nino, Juleka, and Chloé all exchanged looks. "No, thank you. I'll survive." Adrien said. "Does that work, Alya?"

She tapped her chin and her foot. "Every night we don't make progress I just get more antsy."

"This is progress, though. Trust me, I know better than anyone how much we need mega evolution, but I can't think of any better way. Can you?"

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, no."

"It'll be fine." Chloé said. "We'll just have to hold out until then. With all of us, we should manage."

Nino seemed hesitant to contradict her, but spoke up anyway. "I hate to bring it up, but the reason we're looking for this is that we can't hold out."

"Not forever, sure, but as long as it takes." Chloé's gaze softened just a little. "If we give up and say we can't do it without Plagg mega evolving, then we'll fail. Chin up, Nino." Nino's jaw hung a little slack and he furrowed his brow as he stared at Chloé. "You have me fighting, after all."

"Chloé's right." Alya said. "We can do it. Just one or two more fights max before we have the advantage again."

 _Because that "advantage" did so well for us._ Marinette couldn't help but smile. _But they're a lot more eager than I was for sure. Probably more than Adrien. We mostly just flailed, hoping we hit on something. They don't have mega evolution, but they have it together, which may be more important._

 _Still, they found the houndoom. Maybe they'll be lucky, but based on what we've got so far, I wouldn't bet on it. The likelihood the houndoom will actually be able to help is… slim. At best. Mawile had a proper mega evolution and couldn't help them. I couldn't either. Abomasnow couldn't. There might be something deeper that's missing. Some fundamental difference between Adrien and me._

 _Even if they do work better, the sheer power of mega pokémon isn't easily overcome, especially if another steelix shows up. I can believe they'll hold out, but even then it's down to luck. More frail ones or pokémon that they can get the advantage on early and consistently, yeah, they stand a chance. But the bigger, more dangerous ones? The only saving grace is that they don't actually have to defeat it, just find and break the device._

A weight on her bed broke her out of her thoughts. While Alya and Chloé were still talking about their plans, Nino sat next to her. "How have you been doing? I feel like we've been so focused on Adrien that we kind of neglected you."

Marinette laughed. "I'm fine. I'm just happy to be kept in the loop, honestly."

"We couldn't do it without you."

"Are you sure? You seem to be doing pretty well."

"Positive, girl. You'll always be the cornerstone of the team."

"Whether I like it or not."

Nino chuckled. "You got that right."

It was during that moment, that quiet levity that she shared with Nino while her other friends bickered and planned, that she heard a roar that shook her to her bones.

In truth, it was almost more of a shriek. The high, piercing note felt like someone had taken a knife to her eardrums, but the deep rumbling bass that shook the room was just as unmistakable. All ranges of sound were intermixed between the extremes, and though she didn't recognize them all, she recognized the meaning. The same one as the harsh grinding and roaring of Mylène's aggron when it all started. Pain, frustration, a new meaning that she was only able to identify thanks to the abomasnow. Make it stop. A pleading, begging, scream for relief. The sadness that wove itself into her heart shook her more than any sound could. The fear short-circuited her mind, made her act on instinct.

 _That's not the roar of something they can handle without mega evolution._ She dove for her pokéballs, on the bedside table but perilously close to falling out of reach. Pain in her stomach forced her back. She let out a cry. "Woah, Mari, stop!" Nino exclaimed. "I'll get them."

"You heard that, right?" Alya said, wildly looking around to Adrien, who was already unzipping his bag to pull out his costume.

Marinette accepted her pokéballs from Nino and summoned Mawile. Not more than a glance passed between them before Mawile was weaving between legs and around obstacles to reach Marinette's bag, full of things her parents leave when they visit.

The roar shook the world again. Marinette almost felt like clinging to her bed for dear life. It seemed sure that if she were to stand, the vibrations would just knock her off her feet.

Someone came into the room. A nurse, probably, Marinette wasn't paying attention. It must have been a scene. Five people scrabbling, three only half in suits the man had surely seen on television, Mawile tossing objects about in search of two stones far more precious than anything else in the bag. Her, clutching her stomach and trying to sit up despite Nino firmly holding her down by her arms, far enough from her shoulders to keep from aggravating the wound from the manectric. Any more than she was by her struggling, anyway.

Mawile found the Mega Stone and Key Stone just as the nurse came for her, speaking about how she needed to stay down and how you can't go out there, oh man, are you stupid you are _injured_. Marinette ignored him and took the Key Stone from Mawile. "Mawile." Their eyes met. A nod of understanding. "Mega evolve."

When the light faded, all three heroes, Adrien, Alya, and Chloé, were nearly finished throwing on their outfits. The nurse had reached her and took over from Nino in physically restraining her.

And then the window shattered.

Since her attention wasn't on it, she only saw a huge blue paw flail for purchase before it was retracted up above them. "Salamence." Someone said. A moment later, a plume of fire covered the entire opening. Luckily, it didn't spill into the room, but it nonetheless felt like a furnace. Chat Noir, Adrien, stumbled. Marinette thought he looked about ready to collapse, but he persisted. He set his jaw and walked towards the flame, pushing Juleka and Chloé behind him.

And then it stopped. Another roar shook the entire building, it felt like the whole place could come down with another, though she knew the hospital was built sturdier than that. Huge claws on scaly paws appeared in the aperture, trying to grab the crumbling wall and only ruining it more, then a scaled belly. The salamence took off before it fell any further, each beat of its wings sending everything not strapped down tumbling across the room.

The nurse got knocked over as well, giving Marinette the window she needed to stand and hurry to the hole in the wall and look out over the devastation the enraged salamence had wrought.

As she was only on the second floor, she couldn't say how much beyond the street in front of her and part of Centrico Plaza was in a similar state, but the sight there was ghastly. She wasn't there to see the houndoom in person, but she knew from the footage that the street then was lined with fire. The houndoom's fire is based on a toxin that sprays and sticks. Long, clean, narrow streams. It sent them wildly, yes, but its attacks were focused.

But Marinette could hardly call what the salamence was doing "attacking". It didn't target anyone or anything. It didn't even try. It just razed the city; and it hadn't even mega evolved.

She wasn't an idiot. Of course jumping into the action was the last thing she should have done in that situation. She knew, and though she was scoping out the situation mostly on instinct, she held herself back from doing any more than that. _Mawile, at least, can help. Since the attack is right outside, I could evolve Mawile and Alya can take over with her out there. They won't want for a mega here. In that sense, we got lucky._

 _But it's also a double-edged sword. Since it's so close, it means we have to be extra careful. We're not just protecting average citizens, we're protecting the sick and the injured. Ones who can't move on their own. They absolutely must lure it away from here. At least far enough that an errant flamethrower can't hit us._ Chat Noir touched her shoulder and stood by her side in the opening. They met eyes, and Marinette knew that he understood everything she had been thinking.

The salamence flew by, sending another gust by that made Marinette hold onto the wall for fear of falling out of the building. It shot a flamethrower – a wide plume spilling from its maw – into a nearby building, lighting large parts of the base on fire. It spanned from the second to the fourth floor, maybe higher, and continued to climb. "Noivern, get us to the ground, please." Nino said. With little more warning than that, Adrien was snatched up by Noivern and carried along with Mawile to the ground. Nino took Adrien's place next to Marinette. "Good thing it's just down one floor. No way he'd be able to get all of us very far by himself." He leapt from the edge without hesitation, landing on Noivern's back, ready to fly. He still returned to the room, to retrieve Chloé, but he flew high up once she was safely on the ground.

A light erupted from where the salamence was, in Centrico Plaza, which shot into the air and burst like a firework. "Draco Meteor. Shit." Someone pulled her back from the opening.

"Dragon Pulse!" Though Goodra got the attack off in time, it didn't stop the meteor of energy heading toward them. It only pushed it away slightly, just enough that it's trajectory curved into the street at the base of the hospital rather than the building proper. Marinette broke free from whoever grabbed her and rushed to look down. All three of her masked friends had long since taken off and were halfway to the plaza. Alya spared a glance back, but after seeing Marinette, turned away once more.

In the building across from them, a tall one, maybe an office building, people jumped from the top floors to escape the flames that were overtaking them. Marinette tore her eyes from the horrid scene to do what she could. Reach for her pokémon. Rely on them.

Misdreavus had already come out of her ball, and Juleka's girafarig followed suit, summoned onto the street below them so that he had more mobility. Though the first few were already bloody stains on the concrete, the two pokémon managed to save the rest of the jumpers with their Psychic abilities.

Marinette closed her eyes. _I can't move from here. Even standing out here is dangerous to an extent. I'll rely on the others to keep the salamence away, but I have to be vigilant. Meanwhile, I have Bisharp, Ariados, Misdreavus, Ralts, Skitty._

 _What I can do._

It was different, being in the thick of a battle and observing it as it took place. She had a sense of it with the broadcast of the pidgeot fight, but this was something else entirely. She wasn't some helpless girl behind a screen, she was the king on a chessboard. Her movement was minimal, pitiful, almost, for such an important piece. But she could make use of the other pieces.

Juleka asked Goodra to use rain dance. _Same strategy as with houndoom. We're not too close to any of the sustained fires, but for those who are, the rain will be a blessing. It won't reach the other end of Centrico, though, so if the others want to make use of it, it does limit their movement._

 _Misdreavus, rescue. Good girl, catching people, helping people evacuate._ She watched with calculating eyes as Misdreavus appeared and disappeared throughout the street, working tirelessly, sliding across the board like a rook.

 _Ariados._ She looked at his pokéball for a moment and released him. "Get me to the roof." She said.

"Wait, Marine-"

"I'm not going to fight, I just need a better look at what's happening. I promise, I won't move from there." Without waiting for a response from Juleka or for the nurse to be able to react, she stepped to the edge, held her stomach with one hand, and raised the other. Ariados, who had already climbed outside the building, shot her raised arm with his web and started pulling her up. She grabbed the silk and made eye contact with Juleka before the wall blocked her. _Like the abomasnow, but without carrying Chat as well, Ariados won't have a problem getting me up._

 _Juleka, I know this isn't your fight. That's why I want you to stay there. It shouldn't be mine anymore either. It shouldn't be, but… it is. I'm still Ladybug, one way or another. And if I can't fight, in this chaos I can at least still save people. Its best if you don't stick close._

Pulled onto the roof, Marinette took stock once more. Several buildings along the street were burning down, the wind was wild, sending embers flying every direction, but Goodra's Rain Dance was enough to keep the fires from spreading between buildings that weren't attached to each other.

In Centrico Plaza proper, the salamence slammed into Prism Tower, an act that couldn't have left the salamence unfazed, and indeed it did scrabble on the side of the tower for a minute, shaking its head, but Marinette supposed that was the point. _Like heracross. Like Aggron. Self-destructive behavior to try and stop the pain._ Nino was in the sky above it, Adrien, Alya, and Chloé on the ground, their main fighters all ready for action. Police were evacuating the plaza and surrounding areas

 _Priorities. If I'm in danger, I'm a liability to my friends, so… Bisharp. His protect is only just strong enough to block a mega manectric's thunderbolt. Against the salamence's flamethrower… since it's such a wide attack, there's a good chance of it working for a while. If the salamence decides to come in for a physical attack, we can't rely on it._ She released Bisharp. "Stay close. I need you with me if the salamence comes close again."

He understood. He probably wouldn't leave her so exposed on that rooftop anyway, even if she asked him to. _Ralts can be a quick teleport, but it's unreliable and with so much terror, being out of the pokéball would distress him so much he might not be able to pull it off at all in the first place. I can't place any bets on him, protection is down to Bisharp._

"Skitty." The little cat, released from her pokéball, looked up at her with calm or oblivious composure. "Ariados will let you to the ground. Help the survivors you see. Give them comfort if you can."

Skitty meowed and let Ariados lower her and once she had touched ground she frolicked off. Marinette frowned. _Honestly, I'm not sure she'll do anything. She's not the best listener in the best of times, and she's not like Bisharp or even Mawile. I might be expecting too much from her._

 _At the very least, she seems to be staying among the groups of people fleeing. She's relatively safe there. And though she doesn't look it, she can take care of herself._

Watching from her perch, she sighed. _That's what I can do for now. You guys handle the rest._


	38. Madrigal

The roar was the worst part. Adrien hadn't actually seen any of the pokémon before they evolved since Heracross, so he almost forgot what that cry sounded like.

Well, that wasn't true. That sound haunted him. He just forgot that it happened to all of them, since they stopped vocalizing so much after they mega evolve.

 _Now that I think about it, they calm down, too. They get more erratic again as it drags on, but I think the mega evolution itself might alleviate the pain if only a little bit. Or maybe they're just so much stronger it's easier to deal with._

"Chat, ideas?" Alya asked as they ran.

"Working on it." _Its flamethrower seems to be its favored attack but we have to be prepared for anything. In regards to the flame itself, it's not nearly as dangerous as Houndoom's. No toxin and less "sticky". The lack of staying power is made up for with the huge radius, so there's just so much that's flammable in it that we get a scene like this. But that radius also has another drawback, if my theory is right. It's not as hot, and though it'll be hard to dodge, it will be easier to disperse than Houndoom's. There's a fair chance we'll be able to counter it with our own attacks, and won't need to worry too badly about dodging it. Elizabeth almost definitely will be able to, if nothing else, and for Mawile it'll be a sure thing, if not more dangerous because of her type._

 _Things turn if it manages to mega evolve, but if its flames don't get any more streamlined, I'd be comfortable with Elizabeth protecting us from that._

He met eyes with Chloé. "Tyrantrum can counter its flamethrower. And for now she should hold up physically. She'll be our major defense."

"Understood."

"Mawile's Ice Beam will be our best bet for restraining it, but to land a hit, we need to catch it by surprise."

Alya reached into her pocket, skidding to a stop. "Like with pidgeot?"

He nodded. "Like with pidgeot." He looked up to Nino, raised his fingers to his mouth, and whistled as loud as he could. He made a circling motion with one hand and a flattening, downward motion with the other. _Bringing it into the streets would give us the greatest chance of success, but we can't risk the collateral. At the very least, we need to keep it here in the plaza long enough for the nearby streets to be evacuated. As such…_

Alya released her girls, Arcanine and Luxio.

 _A small pokemon, with a springboard. But the real small ones don't have the power on their own._

Chloé let Elizabeth and Delia out to play.

 _Delia and Tikki are in danger here, but Nino is our only other flyer. His other pokémon, though…_

Nino and Noivern bravely bothered the salamence, staying always above it to try and force it lower. "Sylveon." Adrien said. "And Glameow knows Thunderbolt, right?"

"Yeah."

"They're our jump team. Mawile, spring them as high as you can." Everyone gave their confirmations and Adrien released his own pokemon. "Soon as they're sure they can make contact, I want full force. If we can weaken it now, before it mega evolves, we'll make our situation a lot better."

"And us?" Alya asked.

"Get ready to catch."

Alya's eyes went wide and she scrambled to release Kecleon.

Adrien watched carefully. Tikki and Delia joined Nino, though they stayed a respectable distance away and fired strictly long-range attacks to assist. Surely enough, the time came that the salamence soared over them at a height that Adrien deemed reasonable. "Now, Bee!"

Alastair the sylveon and Helena the glameow, already on a hair-trigger waiting for the order to go, started their sprint before Chloé could even repeat the order. They each chose one of Mawile's huge jaws and jumped on top of it, letting Mawile fling them high up. Predictably, Helena, being smaller, flew up higher than Alastair did, but it worked out perfectly since they managed to hit the salamence on its less armored underbelly and its back – more importantly, its wings – at the same time. With Alastair's Moonblast and Helena's Thunderbolt, three pokemon fell from the air.

The cry was something else. Adrien felt bad for hurting the salamence. It was already in so much pain and he was only compounding on it, but unless they could subdue it somehow, there would be much more pain to worry about.

Kecleon caught Helena with his long tongue, and Arcanine used an Extreme Speed to pluck Alastair out of the air. The salamence crashed into the grass, sending up a spray of dirt that rained down on them all for the next few seconds. All three trainers were forced to cover their faces to prevent dirt from getting in their eyes or mouths, but unfortunately, by the time he managed to look, the salamence was already climbing back to its feet.

"Hurry!" Adiren yelled.

"Stone Edge!"

"Thunder!"

Spires of stone shot out of the ground, both a direct hit on the salamence and surrounding it in a stony ring. The salamence cried out on impact, getting knocked off its feet once more when it was thrown by the hit and landing straight on the very spire that hit it, shattering it into a glitter of energy. Before it could stand again, Luxio's Thunder struck it from above.

Adrien took a step back when, once the salamence was stunned, Luxio began discharging, aiming hher electricity at the ring of stones. _My old strategy again? Really? Clever girl. It's not too strong – can't be if Luxio's going to keep it up for any meaningful time – but it should be enough to keep the salamence contained for a while._

 _Wow… look at that._ Adrien watched the electricity arc between the rocks and over the salamence, creating the top of its cage. It charged the air, left him with the feeling that they really had pulled off something amazing. _Chloé and Alya did, at least. Wow._ It wasn't a sight he was unfamiliar with, he used the same technique to dodge and use an electric attack against Marinette, and she used the same technique in the same way against Manectric, but with the salamence in the cage, lashing about and roaring and digging up the dirt, Adrien couldn't help but admire the sight. _I know pokémon can be safely inside the ring, but I never thought to turn that technique into a trap. Did they plan this when they were training?_

Alya cheered. "Ha! It worked!"

"Stay in the game, Fox." Adrien warned. "You too, Bee."

Chloé gave him her killer "I know" eye-roll. "It did work, though." She said.

"Yeah, and it's smart, but we can't celebrate until this is over. Luxio can't keep this up forever. Where could the device be?"

Alya furrowed her brow. "Anywhere, but…"

"Idea, Fox?"

"Trying to remember something. Where was the device on Houndoom?"

"Behind the horn, I think."

"Okay, so if I had to make a guess, it'll be on one of the wings, or the base of the skull."

Chloé arched her brow. "Why there?"

"They're hardest to reach."

"Really?"

"Think about it! Heracross was under the shell, Abomasnow at the base of its spikes, where its fur is dense and more ragged, Manectric under its belly, Houndoom behind its horn, all of them are in difficult to reach places in the middle of a battle. Even Steelix had it at the base of its head."

The rain that started around the hospital, which Adrien assumed was Goodra's doing, finally caught up with them, then. Adrien's mind went into overdrive when the first drop hit him. The fires around him seemed to spread through his vision until they covered everything. His throat burned, his arm hurt.

"Chat? Chat! You okay?" Chloé rushed to his side, a hand on his back and the other on his bicep.

He closed his eyes, decided that didn't help, and focused on Chloe's face instead. "Yeah. Fine. Forget me, send someone to look for the device, and make sure Luxio manages her output for the rain!"

"Stop worrying, kitty." Alya said. "Luxio can handle it."

The salamence, repelled by the electricity, took to slamming the ground. It was something else to experience, the earth shaking like that, but after Steelix's earthquake, that felt like a rock concert that turned the bass too loud at worst.

 _Best case scenario,_ he gently cradled his burned arm, _we find the device and destroy it before time runs out. That's either Luxio running out of electricity, or the salamence mega evolving, because that cage won't hold it then by a long shot. So we send in small pokemon, but that's really dangerous for them with how the salamence is flailing._ "Sylveon is our best bet. Our fliers will get taken out by the cage and he has the type advantage. And he's small enough to slip in. Barely, but it might work. Bee? Sylveon?"

"He can do it." Alastair yipped an affirmative and dashed off into the cage, dancing around the dragon with practiced grace. _Ha, I almost forgot Chloé was in ballet. Of course she'd teach her pokémon to dance._ It was evocative of something he didn't really want to put into words, watching Alastair jumping and twisting about inside that cage with the hysteric dragon. A battle, a struggle, the beauty of dance used for the ugliness of war. _That's what I want. I want to capture that._ Salamence, such an intimidating foe, shooting fire and letting out that heart-shattering roar and just being such a powerful, strong presence versus Sylveon, a pokemon beloved for being cute and compassionate. Compassion as the root for violence. Goodness inherent in people and pokemon driving them to fight a losing battle for the sake of their enemy.

That bittersweet, uncomfortable anxiety that comes with knowing that even the beast you're fighting, even the most terrible of them, is just a tool, a pawn, and never really wanted to cause trouble. It's hurting, maybe more than you could ever know, and your only tool of helping it is to inflict more suffering. Caged in. Locked onto that path whether you want to do it or not.

 _I want them to know._ He set his jaw, narrowed his gaze. _It's selfish. No one wants to feel this. But I want them to know what we're doing. What we're going through. This is my dance, my showcase performance._ He smiled, bit his lip. _Now I just need to make it far enough to show Marinette._

The salamence slammed its tail into the ground and started, faintly, to glow. "Sylveon, get out of there!" He yelled.

Alastair complied with only just enough time to avoid the mega evolved salamence from taking him out with a sweep of its tail. In that sweep, it took out the pillars from the Stone Edge, dispelling the cage. In a last effort, Luxio tried to shock the salamence, but she was weak from the prolonged discharge and her power just wasn't strong enough to so much as stun the newly powered up enemy.

Nino was the first to attack after that. A powerful Boomburst came from above, pushing the salamence to its belly. The girls jumped in next, sending off a volley of attacks while the salamence was still in range. _They learned from Pidgeot. Get as much damage as possible while it's in range, it gives you more openings, more opportunities. Capitalize on those. Flying enemies will sometimes just stay so far you can't do anything about it._

Despite their best efforts, the Salamence managed to take off, going directly after Nino and Noivern, who, now that Elizabeth wasn't in range, were its greatest danger. It shot fire as it tailed them, flying through its own flames as if they were nothing more than a warm breeze. _They can't do it, they have to land. If it was just Noivern… no, even then the salamence is just too fast when its mega evolved. But he might still be useful. If we're careful._ Noivern was circling the tower, leading the salamence along with his downward spiral.

The flames consumed them, Adrien froze. They came out the other side of the tower. _Just licked them, fuck he scared me._ Still, Adrien didn't miss the discarded, burning jacket that fluttered to the ground on their next revolution. _Get the hell down here, Nino. Please._ "Bee, get ready. Fox…"

"Mawile."

"Tyrantrum."

Nino zipped by, the wind whipping Adrien's hood off his head. "Now!" The girls yelled, but Elizabeth had already begun and launched herself into the air with a Stone Edge. With her massive jaws, she caught the salamence's wing. Since she was such a massive pokemon, bringing the salamence down with her was just a matter of gravity. Still, she pulled off a pretty acrobatic Mawile-esque throw, and managed to get the salamence on its back when she landed hard on its belly. _Using its own momentum, turning forward velocity into circular and putting the brunt of the impact on the enemy. I love that move so much._

Mawile rushed forward to clamp her jaws down on the salamence's wings and freeze them solid.

"Sylveon, Beautifly, Glameow."

"Arcanine, Luxio, Kecleon."

All six pokémon, at their trainer's orders, rushed forward to frisk the salamence. Without waiting for the girls or Nino, who was coming up behind them, or sense to hold him back, he joined the pokémon, asking Mawile to take care of the head – so they all didn't get burned off – and Arcanine, the only other pokémon with enough mass to even conceivably have a chance of pulling it off, to try to pin down the tail.

A lot of the smallest pokémon were on its belly, running around under Elizabeth's feet as they searched. Alastair and Luxio were sniffing through the ice-covered wing further from him, so he joined Kecleon and Plagg in searching the other wing. _The wings or the head. Nothing here. Plagg?_ He looked to his partner, finding the negative with just a look. _Other side?_ He looked over the salamence's moving belly, climbing up onto it when it expanded as it breathed in for another fire attack. _Warm. Do salamence have a fire gland? I thought for sure it was a chemical. Though a fire gland fits the flamethrower type we've been seeing a bit better. Chemical flamethrowers are usually more like Houndoom's._ Alastair and Luxio gave him a negative on the device. _So, top of the wings, or the head. Woah!_ The salamence shook. It roared, the ice cracked. _Fuck._ "Everyone, away!"

All the searching pokémon scampered off at his yell. Elizabeth, Arcanine, and Mawile were the only ones who stayed, to try and keep the salamence subdued.

 _The top of the wings, or the head. Salamence is too fast to catch if it takes off, its flamethrower makes it too hard to approach anyway. But there is a blind spot. It can't reach its own back, and its special attacks almost all come from its mouth, which also can't aim there._

The ice gave way. One wing free. Arcanine was flung across the plaza by an especially furious lash of the salamence's tail. Adrien stepped towards the free wing. Elizabeth lost her footing when the slamence rolled, but Adrien ran with it like a log roller. He slipped off the side just in time to catch its neck with an arm and land square on its back.

 _This is stupid. This is so, so stupid. Marinette's going to be pissed._ It took him a moment to realize that Plagg was right behind him, between the salamence's wings. They held each other close and tried to make themselves small and keep their balance.

Mawile missed a grab and the salamence pulled away, rearing up its great head and getting to its feet, pulling its frozen wing out of the ice as it did so. No one had any means of preventing it from taking off. _Noivern. Even Alastair. Kecleon. Arcanine. They can catch us. They will catch us, if this doesn't work._

 _The top of the wings or the head._ He rose into the air, the wind whipping around him. "The top of the wings, or the head." He muttered. Plagg nudged him. He looked down.

He was falling, falling, his fingers losing contact with a hard carapace, nothing to do but watch as the asphalt sped toward him.

Plagg yowled loudly, irritated. He felt the warm scales under his hands, the soft fur pressed against him. _Stay in the game. You've been doing this all day._ He shook his head roughly, though that couldn't really shock him out of it any more than the fierce wind could.

He pulled Plagg's head right to his lips so he could hear over the gale, though he figured Plagg already had the same idea. "Check the wings!"

Plagg nodded and turned away. Adrien turned towards the head. He straddled its neck, shuffled forward. The salamence barely seemed to even feel him. _Lucky. If it started thrashing… But I thought this would happen. It needs to use the horns on the sides of its head to keep balanced. Wild movements of the head would throw it out of the sky, so it can't do that, even if it has an annoying little human on it._

He reached the head, hesitated. Salamence growled. "I'm sorry, buddy."

Adrien ended up finding the device at the base of one of Salamence's horns, hidden from view between them. Carefully, he retreated enough to reach out to Plagg, who snapped it between his teeth.

Luckily for both of them, as the salamence grew sluggish, it circled down and landed safely. Adrien took the moment, while the salamence was calm and the problem was solved, to look out over the city. He felt powerful, connected. The scale of it and the knowledge that he was so important to the people who lived there. He laughed. He held himself, straddling the neck of a dragon, and laughed.

Adrien only avoided being crushed when the salamence hit the ground by Chloé grabbing him by his collar and yanking him out. If she hadn't, the salamence would have taken a nap on his leg or worse.

 _I can't believe that worked._ He couldn't stop laughing anyway.

Until Alya punched him in the jaw. "You fucking idiot!"


	39. Proposal

"How the hell _dare_ you pull that!"

"Alya…"

"Do you have any idea how terrified I was?! Jumping in when it was pinned down was one thing but telling everyone to back off while you went at it alone?!" Alya screamed in frustration. "And then it took off and we had no way to reach you! We couldn't even try to attack because we were afraid… we were scar- fuck you! Fuck you! Why didn't you tell us your plan!"

"Alya."

"Don't you fucking 'Alya' me, Mari. Him and I are having _words_."

"Alya, it's okay."

"But what if it wasn't?! He put himself in danger for no reason! Helena or Luxio or Kecleon could have done that but he jumped up there anyway! And I thought… I just…"

"I know, Alya. This isn't the first time he's done this."

"But…"

"He jumped onto the steelix too, do you think I wasn't scared? Or when he fought the houndoom alone? Or when he basically went hand-to-hand combat with a freaking abomasnow?"

Juleka chimed in with a smirk. "Don't forget the heracross."

"Okay," Adrien said. "That one was an accident."

Alya let out the most unbelieving chuckle, and though tears were still running down her face, she did smile a little. "I hate you so much." She jumped on him, wrapping him in her arms so tight that Marinette thought he might have been having trouble breathing. "Don't you ever do that to me again. We're partners in this. You have to tell us when you're planning something."

He hugged her back more hesitantly, worrying his lip and looking straight to Marinette as if asking permission. "I'm sorry. I know. It's just, in the middle of battle, well, I'm not used to working with more than just Ladybug, I guess. I'm sorry."

"That never actually made you tell me your plans when we worked together." Marinette teased.

"No, but…"

She giggled. "Yeah. I knew." She sniffed a little. He was reckless, she knew that from the beginning. By all rights, Alya knew it too, but to experience it was something else altogether. "It's not easy, but when you're out there, Alya, you trust each other. Even if you don't know what's going through your partner's mind, you help them. If you fight them on it, you stall both of you and put yourselves in danger."

"I understand." Alya said. She still didn't let go of Adrien.

"And Adrien."

"Yeah?"

"Start communicating. Please?"

He chuckled bashfully. "I'll try." _Geez, I'm like their mom._ "Uh, Chloé."

"Don't even mention it." She said with a flamboyant wave of the hand. "I knew you were fine." Though she disguised it by turning away and checking her nails, Marinette saw how her hand trembled, how tense she was.

Marinette shook her head. _These kids._

Alya was only, barely, pulled off of Adrien so that Nino could get a turn in his arms. He muttered something in his ear at which Adrien smiled. "Yeah. Sorry again. But you know I can't promise."

Marinette smiled sadly. _We can't ever promise to be safe, or not to do something stupid. It kind of comes with the job._ "But that's enough about that. Alya, Chloé, you did great out there!"

"What," Adrien said, still holding Nino. "No praise for the kitten?"

"Oh no, when they leave, we're having _words._ "

Alya whooped. "Ha!"

All of them shared a brief laugh. "For real though, you did great, Kitten. You were very brave. How did you know you wouldn't get thrown off?"

"I didn't." Alya looked about ready to punch him, and he recoiled. "I mean, of course I had a plan! I knew it wouldn't thrash and throw me off that way, or I thought so, anyway. Turned out I was right. The horns? They help it keep balance when its flying. So it can't move its head too much when in the air. That's why all its flamethrowers were big sweeps in the direction it was flying, and why it stayed so close to the ground when it was razing stuff."

Alya blinked. "You figured all that out, and didn't think to tell us?"

"There wasn't time! I only pieced it all together when I was already on it, when it was pinned. I didn't know if I'd necessarily be able to hold on, that's why I said I didn't know it wouldn't throw me off. I thought there was a good chance that the wind or the movement from takeoff might knock me off. But I knew you guys would catch me."

"Yeah, so I can kill you myself."

"Alya."

"Sorry, sorry. You do sound like you had things put together. I'm sorry for punching you."

Adrien laughed. "Oh, it's okay. I probably deserved it. Marinette never reacted like that when I did something stupid. I should have been more aware of your feelings."

"Oh she didn't?" Alya raised her eyebrows and gave Marinette a look. Then her composure broke and her cheeks tinged pink. "Wait, she didn't?" She covered her mouth and looked anywhere but Adrien.

Adrien chuckled. "No, she usually just asked me what I was thinking or just like, didn't say anything at all, actually. I figured those times she just knew."

"I did." Marinette said, thoroughly enjoying her best friend's reaction. "Though to be fair it was pretty obvious."

Adrien touched Alya's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. I appreciate you worrying about me."

"Someone needs to." Juleka said. "Since he doesn't do it himself."

"Hey, I'm careful."

"You literally climbed onto the back of a rampaging dragon like five minutes ago."

"I… That's… fair." Everyone except Alya laughed at him. "But I do feel bad. Can I do anything to make it up to you?" He held her shoulder, moving his thumb along her arm a little.

"Just fuckin-" She turned into him to bury her head in his chest and hug him again.

He chuckled weakly and hugged her back. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm okay." He rubbed her back and rested his chin on her head. "We're all okay."

"You better be." Marinette said. "If you don't make your showcase I'll give you something to be not okay about." _Freaking nailed the mom tone. I'm on a roll._

"Ha, speaking of. I know what I'm doing now."

"Just now, dude? You've only got a week."

"A week and the rest of today. And it would probably be more fair to say I know what I want to do. I think I can pull it off, but there is one factor I'm worried about."

"What's that? Maybe we can help."

"I doubt it." Adrien looked at Alya, still held close, and then at everyone else in the room. He smiled nervously, took a breath. "Well, thinking about it, two factors, but one you guys can help me with."

"What is it?"

"How do you feel about me dancing about this? The hero thing, I mean. The battles."

Though the question was directed at everyone, Adrien had his eyes only on Marinette. She closed her own eyes. "Of course!" Chloé said. "You'll kill it." A pause. "Okay, maybe a bad choice of words I admit."

Nino's voice came next. "Of course, dude! If that's the story you want to tell, I'll be here with you every step."

"Thanks, both of you."

"Try not to kill yourself." Alya said.

"I'll do my best."

Marinette opened her eyes. All others were on her. "Do you think that people will want to see that?"

He shrugged. "Maybe not. They idolize us. Or you, anyway. I don't think they really want to know what it's like for us. But I want to try and show them anyway, if I can."

 _He's right. No one wants to know what a hero's life is really like. How hard heroism is._

"Haha, or maybe I'm just being conceited. I'm sure I can't get it all across with just dancing. Maybe it was a stupid idea."

"No. It's not stupid." _Not the people, not the dance, that's not important._ "Would doing this make you feel better?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Then go for it. You don't need my permission anyway."

"Well, with luck, you'll be there to watch it, and again at the risk of sounding conceited, I really don't want to bring up anything that might… you know… It's a sensitive subject for me, so if you're the same…"

"I think it's a wonderful idea, Adrien. And I know you'll be able to say what you want to. You're an extraordinary performer."

"Aha, thank you." He sighed in relief. Alya unlatched herself from him. "Oh, you done?"

"My legs got tired." She stretched to her full height, equal with Adrien. "But not by a long shot. Come here, you beautiful boy." She took his face in her hands and kissed his forehead before holding him to her chest.

"Um, Alya." Marinette held back her laughter, seeing Adrien's face go beet red.

"Mhmm."

"I'm really, uh… just… I don't know how to…"

"Say it, love."

"My face is really close to your boobs right now."

Alya broke down, releasing Adrien in favor of clutching her stomach. "Oh, I forgot how good and pure you are, sorry."

"I, ah, no, it's, uh, not a problem." Adrien covered his face. "I just thought…" His voice got really quiet. "Inappropriate. Sorry. I didn't mean to make it weird."

"Never change, Adrien."

"So," Chloé said, "what's the other thing? The one we can't help with?"

"Huh? Oh, that." Adrien coughed nervously, and rubbed his neck. "Well, I really want to bring in a new face for this performance."

"Really? Oh, Adrien, Allie will do great, she's a born star."

"Uh, no, not her."

Chloé frowned. "Emma and Kivva are too young, especially for the big stage."

"I know, I'm not talking about any of my pokémon."

Nino stepped forward. "Well you know we're always willing to lend you our pokémon, dude. I'm sure they'd get a thrill out of it."

"Uhh… Not any of your pokémon either."

Chloé gasped. "You can't mean a wild pokémon. Adrien, you'd never be able to train it in time."

"I know. That's why this'll be such a challenge. But I… I really want to give him the chance. Honestly, I'm less nervous about teaching him as I am convincing him to agree to it."

"Just what pokémon are we talking about right now?"

Adrien hesitated. Marinette knew the answer before it left his lips. "Houndoom."

"The houndoom that attacked you?!"

"He's really a sweet pokémon. Really! And figuring out mega evolution will obviously come first."

"Adrien, you spent one night with the thing."

"I know, but-"

"It burned your arm! Scarred your precious body for life!"

"I know!"

"And you can't really tell me you think brining a pokémon like that onto a stage in front of thousands of people is a good idea! The poor thing will panic at best!"

"I know, Chloé!"

"And you'd still have to choreograph an-"

"I get it! You think it's dumb." Adrien bit his lip and wrapped his arms around himself. "The rest of you probably think that too, right?"

"Well, I won't pretend like it's your best idea…" Juleka said hesitantly.

"Thought so. Just forget I said anything. I'll figure out what to do."

"Now, hold on." Nino said. "My dude is the only one who's met the houndoom. If he thinks it's possible, I don't think we have any place to disagree."

"He's meeting the thing alone again because having all of us would scare it away! I think that's clear enough in itself!" Chloé said. "Adrien, honey, you know I know you're amazing, but I just don't want to see you set your hopes on something that's so clearly impossible."

"Not impossible." Juleka fidgeted as she spoke. "Improbable, yeah, but it's not impossible. You need a backup plan if it doesn't work out."

Adrien snorted. "Oh, if there's one thing I've learned."

"I agree with Chloé." Alya said, shaking her head. "It's not even a question of if it's possible, just whether you should. Do you really want to put Houndoom in that kind of situation? You don't think you're throwing him in the deep end a little too quickly?"

"Look," he said, "certain pokémon types have certain trends. I've raised Kivva since she was born, I've had Plagg and Rocco for longer. I know that Houndoom isn't those three, but guys, I can teach him to dance. I can make the performance. And if he should or not, I always intended to leave the decision up to him. I'm not going to try and make him do anything."

"And you think Houndoom will agree?"

"I don't know. But I want to try, that's all. I want to give it a chance."

Alya shrugged half-heartedly. She clearly wasn't enthused by the idea, but despite that, she still gave her approval. "Be careful."

"And what is your father going to say about you bringing home another damaged pokémon?" Chloé asked.

"Chloé!" Juleka stepped between her and Adrien, a scowl on her lips. "That's inappropriate. You don't get to say that."

"Why not? Isn't it true? You're already struggling with Rocco, your father already doesn't like Plagg. What will you tell him about Houndoom?"

"Back off, Chloé! Plagg and Rocco are good pokémon, and you don't get to go aroun-"

"It's okay, Juleka." She stopped when Adrien cut her off, the fury in her eyes dying as she returned to her usual, quiet self. She took one look at Chloé and returned to her spot next to Marinette's bed. "She's right. But I'll just have to tell Dad the truth."

"Not about Chat Noir. Honey, he'd never let you go."

"Of course not about Chat Noir, are you crazy? No, by now he's surely heard that Juleka is friends with Chat, and he knows Alya's looking into the case, so it shouldn't surprise him that I was able to find one of the victims."

"Speaking of, dude, how _are_ you hiding your arm?" Nino asked.

"Very carefully."

"But he'll never agree to let you take in one of those pokémon." Chloé protested.

Adrien laughed. "Frankly, Chloé, I'm not asking permission. I only think it's fair to him that, if Houndoom does agree and choses to come with me, he's aware of who's in his house. But I don't need his permission to be a trainer. Worst case scenario, I stay at the Pokemon Center as a travelling trainer until the showcase." He chuckled. "Heck, when all this is over, I might travel for real."

Marinette sucked in a silent breath. _Leave Lumiose? Maybe even Kalos. Ha, wouldn't that be great? A moment away from this. It's not just the attacks; it's seeing the places. Walking down a street you almost died on. Looking over the river your friend almost died in. I understand why he'd want to get away._

"Really?" Alya exclaimed. "What about school?" _Not important anymore._

He shrugged. "I don't know. Until we stop the attacks, it's a moot point anyway. I'll think more about it then."

"Hey," Marinette said, "if you do take off when the big bad is stopped, can I come too?"

"Mari?"

She chuckled. "I get it, Adrien. To be honest, I feel the same way sometimes."

He smiled, warm and understanding. "I would love that."

"Hey!" Chloé said. "There's no way I'm letting you two go off on your own."

Nino snickered. "Are you going to chaperone?"

"If it comes to it, I suppose I must."

"And like I trust a boy alone with my best friend." Alya said. "Or Chloé with her. I've got to come along, too."

Nino shook his head and shrugged. "Well in that case, someone has to keep you and Chloé from each other's throats. You dudes are always dragging me into everything, geez."

"Alright, alright." Juleka said. "Let's stop talking about it before the whole class shows up and decides to tag along."

"Wouldn't that be great, though?" Adrien asked, bouncing with excitement.

"It would be hell, Adrien. We can't keep it together in a classroom, we certainly can't keep it together travelling the world." Everyone laughed.

"Well," Adrien said eventually. "It was just an idea. I wouldn't want to pull everyone from school and stuff."

"Something to consider when this is over." Marinette said.

"Yeah. When it's over."


	40. Choreography

His friends' reactions to his idea of using Houndoom in the performance was discouraging, but expected. Really, if he were totally honest, he'd probably have tried to talk himself out of it too, had the positions been switched. _But if I can pull this off… Houndoom is important. It's my job to tell our story, to get across how rushing out there and fighting actually feels for us. But it's his job to show the people that these pokémon we're fighting aren't an enemy. Hearing about the devices is one thing, but I've seen some of the comments. Heroism, even if it is good for morale, is polarizing. People have started thinking about us as the good guys and these pokémon as the bad._

 _In some ways, it's good that it's Houndoom. I don't think it would be so powerful with Heracross or Abomasnow. If we show everyone we're on the same side, we can shift attention where it really needs to be going. Whoever's making those devices and planting them on these pokémon._

Adrien shared a hesitant look with Rocco, who sat an uncomfortable distance away. Not far, just so much farther than they used to sit. He stayed appearing as a zoroark, so that the Houndoom wouldn't be caught by surprise. Adrien opened up the food.

 _The one that hurt me, not like Abomasnow, something lasting. The one who left a scar. That's why it has to be Houndoom. I need to get over this. I need to forgive him so that the city can too. And as bad as it was, what Rocco did primed people to be empathetic for Houndoom. They'll be more likely to accept him than Steelix or the others. Once people see he's not bad, they can see the others as good pokémon again too. That's why I can't give up just because training him will be hard, or it might be scary for him. It has to be Houndoom or it won't work._

A lot of the other pokémon showed up for a meal, some of them being there before Adrien was and running up to him before he even sat down. Adrien smiled. He didn't have too much food, but he did take care to bring enough to share, since he figured that would happen. Like the night before, it took until the sun fell for Houndoom to show up, and when he did he stuck to the far end of the plaza, watching them carefully.

"It's okay." Adrien said softly. "You're safe." Houndoom watched Rocco. "He won't hurt you. Look." Adrien hooked Rocco with his arm and pulled him close. "Nothing to worry about. He's sorry for what he did, and he knows not to do it again."

Rocco yipped out something, gently, quietly, only just enough for Houndoom to hear. Houndoom crept a little closer. Rocco bowed his head, made himself small, curled into Adrien, mumbled some more. An apology.

Adrien fiddled with the bandage on his arm. It was healing well, the doctors had said, and it felt a lot better. Phantom pains were really all that remained, like when he was surrounded by fire and was transported back, or when he had a nightmare and woke up with it burning. The bandage was mostly just there to keep the ointment, still applied fairly regularly, from washing away or being rubbed off. Also, to protect it from rubbing against things. But normally, so long as he didn't bother it, it didn't hurt any more. If he had been burned by the salamence instead, he probably wouldn't need it. It's the toxin that was the real concern. Even then, it's just a precaution, since Adrien said it still tingled sometimes. By all rights, the toxin should have been cleared ages ago. He figured even that was just phantom pains, but didn't like the idea of ignoring it, just in case. _I'm glad my new outfit is short-sleeved. They should see it._

Houndoom whined, Rocco barked back, Houndoom seemed to relax a little. So did Rocco. They talked a little more, beyond Adrien's understanding, before Houndoom tentatively approached and licked at Adrien's sleeve again. He chuckled. "I'm okay, really. It doesn't even hurt anymore." He gently pat Houndoom on the head. "I swear. It wasn't your fault."

Rocco barked something, getting Houndoom's attention, and shifted into his human disguise. "He's still apologizing." He signed.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I forgive you."

"Are you going to ask?" Rocco signed.

"Yeah, just a moment. Here." He held out a good chunk of the food for Houndoom. "No hard feelings? For any of us?"

Houndoom looked Rocco up and down, and slowly took the food from Adrien's hand. He nodded and sniffed at Rocco.

Rocco smiled nervously, and held still while Houndoom inspected him. Once he received a lick on the face, he laughed and barked a response.

Adrien let out the breath he had been holding. _Thank every deity even conceivably in existence._ "Hey, Houndoom?" The dog turned to him, attentive. "I did have a couple things I wanted to ask you, if you're comfortable answering. It's about mega evolution."

Houndoom whined and sat in front of him, ducking his head low. Rocco signed a translation for him. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. It's about the evolution itself, not what you, we, did. You see, I have a Key Stone too." He held up the little orb for Houndoom to inspect. "And a Mega Stone for Plagg, the absol who fought at that time. But I can't trigger mega evolution. I thought maybe you could help me."

"Sorry," Rocco signed, "I don't know anything about that."

"Would you be okay telling us how it felt?"

"I got stronger. I thought I could fight the noise. Make it go away."

Adrien frowned and tapped his chin. _This isn't going to get us anywhere. I need to think about specifics. Alya's list. When the broader questions don't get results, ask specific ones. Things you think might give a clue. But what?_

"I'm sorry. I wish I could help."

"No, don't worry about it. How about… Before you mega evolved, aside from the pain, this 'noise', did you feel anything else?"

"I was lonely."

"Lonely?"

"Which was weird. I usually don't play with others, but I've never gotten lonely like that before."

"Not once?"

Houndoom shook his head. "It was wrong. Everything about it was wrong. Don't use that for yours."

"I get it. Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything that would hurt my pokémon. I'm only trying to figure out what we're missing, so we can help protect everyone better."

"What about Ladybug?"

"Already tried. Mawile, too."

"Ask again. Don't use us."

Adrien sighed. _It makes sense. Even if we figured out how this worked, it's obviously broken somehow. Mawile isn't hurting when she mega evolves. Proper evolution doesn't do that. So trying to base our attempts on these broken attempts even if they do evolve is the blind leading the blind._ "Okay." He bit his lip. "How about this. When we asked Mawile what happens when she mega evolves, she said 'we evolve', or maybe Rocco can say it better?" Rocco barked. Houndoom tilted his head. "What do you think about that?"

"You have to evolve."

 _I have to… loneliness… maybe it is the bond that makes it work. Ladybug and Mawile's trust in each other. But then why can't I do it?_

Rocco tapped his shoulder to get his attention. "Sorry, not evolve. Adapt. Like reacting in battle, not like a pokémon evolution."

"Adapt to what?" Both pokémon shrugged. "The fighting?"

"I don't think so." Rocco signed.

Adrien groaned in frustration. Houndoom whined. "I'm sorry I couldn't help." Rocco translated.

"No, no, it's not your fault. Thank you, you gave me something to think about. And don't worry. We'll figure it out eventually."

 _Evolve, adapt, loneliness. Could it be that I'm just not close enough with Plagg? I don't want to believe it. It should be easy. Marinette pulled it off without thinking. There must be some sort of barrier. A wall that's stopping us. I don't think it's Plagg, either. Grumpy and unmotivated as he is, he does try, and I can't think of any reason why he might be just unable to do it. Whoever gave us the stones obviously believed it was possible at least, and when dealing with these I would assume they did their homework._

 _I need to adapt. There's something about my situation, probably regarding Plagg, that I need to change my perspective on, or that I need to think about more thoroughly. It can't be so simple as a misunderstanding, can it? Since he's so contrary, if there's some reason for it that I don't understand, or if he's hiding something from me? It has to be something deeper. Think, Adrien._

 _Think about times you fought with him. When you lost your temper with him or yelled or whatever. Any time of conflict with him. Those are most likely the most telling for something that would cause an issue if the connection is the real problem. When you identify the problem, you can solve it. Come on._

Houndoom nuzzled him gently, his wet nose a shock against Adrien's neck. "Ah, sorry. I was just thinking. _Later. You still have one other thing to do while you have Houndoom here._

"Hey, Houndoom. Do you know what I do? Besides trying to help you guys that go mega?"

Houndoom backed off a little to pay attention. He tilted his head.

"I'm a performer. Do you know what that is?"

Houndoom nodded, barked, panted happily. Rocco translated for Adrien. "He likes to watch performances."

Adrien smiled. "What about being in one?"

Houndoom lowered his head. "I don't want to mess it up."

"Don't worry about it, buddy. I don't compete. I perform for the fun of it. so even if we mess up, it's okay."

A whine, a sad look. "I've never tried anything like that before. No trainer."

"It's okay. I could teach you. Plagg and Tikki will help, you've met them, sort of."

"Why?"

Adrien took a deep breath and readied his thoughts. "It's because I want to show everyone that you're not bad. Not just you, all the pokémon that have been targeted in these attacks."

Houndoom looked down. "Sometimes I try to take food from…" Rocco paused. "Restaurant Le Wow, I think." He signed. "No, food places. All sorts. Sorry."

"And what happens then?"

"Sometimes I can get a meal, but sometimes the humans see me. They throw things at me, send their pokémon after me."

"I'm so sorry."

Rocco shrugged, barked, signed, "It's not uncommon for street pokémon. Same happened to me, and the people thought I was human!"

Houndoom growled. "It got worse, though. People around here are watching more, and more quick to attack. Sometimes I'll see them feeding the other pokémon, but when I show up they hit me."

"I see." Adrien muttered. "They're scared, because you're a houndoom, and they saw you on television. They probably don't even know it was you, specifically. I am sorry. People should treat you guys better."

"But if I perform with you, people won't be scared anymore?"

"I can't promise that, no. I'm sure people will still be scared. But I think it's a step toward fixing things. Can you work with that?" Houndoom nodded. "It'll be a lot of work. I have to make almost the whole performance in a week, including training you, so we'll be working every day for several hours minimum."

"If I can help, I want to."

"Thank you."

"If you think I can, I want to fight, too. I'll be your pokémon."

Adrien was taken aback at the eagerness when Houndoom jumped onto him, nearly blocking his view of Rocco. He laughed. "If that's what you want, I would be happy to take care of you."

Rocco chuckled and signed. "You have good food, too."

Adrien ruffled Houndoom's fur and laughed even more.

* * *

Thinking ahead, Adrien stopped at the store on his way home to buy a pokéball. He chuckled when a man leaving the store jumped out of his skin and bolted at the sight of Houndoom. _It's kind of funny, but also really sad. They shouldn't be so afraid. Shouldn't feel like they need to be._

When he came out with the ball, he knelt in front of Houndoom and reiterated what he had been saying the entire walk there. "Only if you want to. You can still perform with me and stay wild if that's what you want."

Houndoom touched it with his nose and went into the ball. Adrien smiled. He knew that the ball would be registering Houndoom under his trainer id, and his father would get a notification within minutes. Or at least, Nathalie would. _I can just picture the sigh. "Another stray, Adrien?" The answer is yes, Dad, another stray. But he's a good boy. A very good boy. And I love him._

Adrien started on the path home, still looking at the pokéball. _"Why can't you just pick up a litten off the street instead? Why does it always have to be the big and dangerous ones with the troubled past?" Why can't you lay off, Dad? He's a good boy. Besides, if Marinette can have Ariados, Bisharp, Misdreavus, and Mawile, I honestly think my team is less scary than them. Even if we're not counting the babies. So, yeah. Could be worse for your image, you know. Besides, people love a good rescue story._

 _"Not when the rescue is the pokémon that burned half of Hibernal Avenue to the ground." Details! Besides, when Chat Noir debuts him on stage, people will change their tune. I hope._

 _Ha, now that I think about it, though, Dad's definitely going to find out I'm Chat Noir. Doing vids online is one thing, but the premiere showcase is something even he will have to watch. He'll see Plagg, Tikki, and when he recognizes Houndoom it's over. Too late, though! It'll be fine, I think, so long as it's after the showcase. Even if he freaks out, I'm too famous. And if he tries to stop me from fighting the megas, it'll reflect badly on him if my identity comes out._

 _Yeah, thinking about it, I'm actually in a pretty comfortable position right now._

"Adrien, please tell me that isn't the Houndoom that burned you."

 _Fuck._ He looked up at his dad at the top of the imposing staircase. His father looked more tired and exasperated than anything else. The look he gave Adrien, with a high, arched brow, said "really?" and not "how dare you sneak behind my back to dress up like a cat and put your life in danger".

"Oh, well, he's, uh… actually a really sweet boy?"

"Adrien, I have sat back and watched as you threw yourself into danger at every turn."

"You knew?!"

"Did you really think that I didn't know you are Chat Noir? No name gets big enough to perform as a guest at the premiere showcase in Lumiose without me hearing it. From there, and with your disappearance during the abomasnow attack, it was obscenely obvious." Adrien just chuckled nervously. "And you aren't as clever at hiding your injuries as you think."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Why should I? You are a competent trainer, and more than capable of making your own decisions. I worry for you, of course, but I raised you better than to jump into something like that without a plan. Besides, your mother was the same way. I never could get her to stop being a hero, even after she got sick. I know how futile it is." Adrien swallowed hard, over the lump in his throat. "But I never thought you would seek out and capture one of the beasts that you fought."

"He's a really sweet boy!"

"Yes, you have mentioned. I'm sorry Adrien, but it's bad enough you have those two in this house. I can't risk your safety with it. Not where I am supposed to keep you safe."

"Those two?"

"The pit fighting stray and the one that killed your mother."

Adrien felt like his father had just driven a spear through his heart. "They are not responsible!"

"Don't raise your voice at me."

"No, you don't get to say something like that and expect me to just listen! Rocco can't help where he came from. He's working on leaving that behind. And Plagg…" His voice gave out as he lost his nerve under his father's stare. "Plagg didn't kill Mom."

 _"The one that killed your mother."_ Plagg on his hind legs, reaching to nuzzle Marinette. Terror. _Arceus._ Adrien covered his mouth and tried to hold back his tears. "Plagg didn't kill mom. She was sick." Yelling, anger that didn't belong. A gross overreaction. He trembled all over, shaking as he realized exactly what was wrong with him. _I blame him._ "It's not fair to blame him. She was going to die, he just let us know." _The one that killed your mother._

Adrien shook his head and ran to his room, not giving his father a passing glance.

"Adrien! We still need to talk about this!"

He slammed his door.


	41. Prelude and Fugue

"Hey, Marinette."

Adrien's voice welcomed her to wakefulness, but it held back something she couldn't begin to guess. She opened her eyes and looked around. _Just him._ "Hey, Adrien." She looked him up and down. "Hey, Chat Noir." She amended.

He smiled weakly. "Sorry if I woke you up."

"Mmm, no problem. Did you need something, or is it just your turn?"

"I, uh, wanted to talk to you."

Marinette sat up, as much as she could anyway. "What's up?"

"Well, first of all, I guess, Dad really doesn't like me having Houndoom."

"Houndoom? You caught him, right? No nickname?"

"Nah. A lot has been happening. I'll talk with him about it later. Honestly, we're just kind of joining forces right now. If things settle down and he wants to stick with me, that's when I'll probably nickname him. If he wants, of course."

"I get it. He agreed, though?"

"Yeah! He wants to perform and fight. I'll need to train with him a lot, just to get us comfortable with each other but he seems eager. Luckily, Plagg and Tikki are veterans with the performances, so it shouldn't be too hard. I can focus on him for the most part."

"Don't forget to practice in your new outfit. And what about practicing on stage?"

Adrien rubbed his neck. "Well, they normally don't open the stage until the premiere even for performers. After all, that's part of the challenge for the competitors. I was planning on visiting the theatre and asking if we could use their stage for a few minutes."

"A few minutes?"

"I'm not worried about the stage itself, just how Houndoom will handle it. I'm planning to get him up there and let Rocco make an illusory audience so he gets a taste of what it's like. We don't need to practice there, just let him get it in his mind. Same for Plagg and Tikki. They're experienced but they've never done a live show. Me too, actually. I'm pretty nervous."

"You should be; making the whole thing in a week." Adrien laughed. "But you can do it."

"Thank you."

"But… your dad?"

"Yeah, I'm going to be staying at the Pokémon Center for now."

"What?!"

"No, no, calm down." Adrien raised both hands in a placating gesture. "He didn't kick me out. Actually, I kind of stormed out."

"Because of Houndoom?"

"Because of Plagg."

Marinette reached for his hand. "What happened?"

"It's okay. I texted him and everything. He knows I'm at the Pokémon Center."

"Adrien, you know those rooms are-"

"Yeah, I know. I didn't know where else to go, though. I'll leave today, go back home, I guess. Don't want to take the bed from people who need it more."

"Wait, tell me about it first."

He sighed. "Well, Dad was irritated about Houndoom. He started talking about all the horrible things I'd done already, like bringing Rocco and Plagg home." Marinette held his hand firmly, careful not to crush it despite the heat in her chest. "And being Chat Noir."

"He knows?"

"Has known, apparently. And yet Houndoom was the final straw, and not, I don't know, riding a freaking dragon."

Marinette couldn't help but laugh. "Really, though, he was probably just still scared from that. I'm sure he didn't mean to-"

"He did. I mean, no, he didn't mean to say it so harshly, but he meant it."

"What did he say?"

"He called Rocco a 'pit fighting stray' and said Plagg killed Mom."

"Killed your mom?!" Adrien was quiet. He just bowed his head and looked away. "Adrien, why would he think Plagg killed your mom?"

"I hate it." Adrien murmured. "I hate it because somewhere deep down, I blame him, too."

"Adrien."

"Sorry. Plagg was with Mom when she died. That's when we met. Or, not exactly then. He was hanging around all the time while Mom was sick. Dad and I were out when it happened. Plagg was the only one there. I know that absol can sense disaster. I know that he was just telling us, not causing it, but… Dad still blamed him. I still blame him. And I think that's why I can't mega evolve him."

Marinette stared at him. "I wish Alya were here right now." He looked up. "So she could punch you in the face."

"Huh? No, she's strong." He rubbed his jaw.

"Well, clearly you need another good smack, because you're being an idiot!"

"I know! I know it's stupid and I know it's unfair and I know he's objectively not at fault but… earlier this week, we were here when you were sleeping. It wasn't long after you got hurt. When Plagg came out I panicked. I couldn't have even told you why at the time, but I was just so, so, so scared when I saw him with you. And then he tried to get on your bed and I just… I freaked out. I yelled at him and basically wrestled him away because I was so scared. I didn't even think about it until last night but… I was so scared that if he were to get up there with you, you'd…" Marinette shook her head and sighed. "And now that I'm thinking about it, I never let him near Rocco, either, when he was in the hospital."

Marinette realized his hand was trembling. "Hey, come here." He complied to let her hug him. "I'm sorry. You're right. I shouldn't have said that. Just because it's not actually his fault can't change how you feel. Have you talked to him about it?"

Adrien shook his head. Marinette was thankful her shoulder injuries were mostly okay and covered. "I can't." He said. "I need to figure it out alone."

"Okay, now you need a smack and I'm not taking this one back."

He shook a little, but Marinette was happy it was from a laugh. "Sorry."

"You never need to do anything alone. And this involves him, too."

He pulled away. "I don't want him to know. I've tried to be as supportive as I can for him. Other people always avoid him because of absol's reputation, and Dad can be downright cruel to him. I can't let him know that I'm weird about it."

Marinette considered his reasoning. "Okay. I understand. But you're still not alone. You can talk to me. To the others. Rocco."

"Not Rocco, either. I need to support him, too, and if I waver on Plagg…"

Marinette shook her head. "Oh, Adrien. Alright. Let's figure this out you and me. And in the meantime, if you really don't want to go home, you go to my place."

"What?"

"Yeah. My parents love you, anyway. And it's not like my room isn't free right now." Marinette blushed thinking about it, but knew it was the best thing for him. _Maybe get Alya to sweep the place before he sees it, though._ "I know how it feels to need to get away from somewhere."

Adrien hummed. "Travelling."

"Yeah."

"Do you think we could really do it?"

"I think we're old enough and no one could stop us if we wanted to."

"I think I'll take you up on that and ask your parents. It's not so much that I don't want to go home, just… while I'm still figuring out this thing with Plagg, I don't think that place is very good for me. It just makes everything so much more confusing. I can convince Dad I'm just throwing a tantrum over Houndoom." He chuckled a little. "He might even buy it for a few minutes."

"Will you be able to work with Plagg for your showcase?"

"I'll have to. I don't have time to waste on it. Speaking of, when are you released from here, again?"

"Well, it would have been today but since I acted up yesterday they're keeping me another day."

"So… tomorrow?"

"Or the day after, depending on how tomorrow's check-up goes. Still have to be careful about it for a while, though."

"Then why are you offering me your room? You'll be back in it before you know it!"

She shrugged. "Seemed like the Ladybug thing to do."

He chuckled. "Well, don't worry. I'll stay with Nino instead. It's not a big deal."

"Is he okay with that?"

"Probably. I'll text him now." He waited for a few moments. "Yep, he said it's cool."

Marinette smiled. "Got to love Nino."

"Tell me about it. No questions asked, even. Dude is the best."

She shook her head. "So, what do we do about Plagg?"

The smile fell from his face. "I don't know. You can't exactly tell me anything I don't already know."

"Well, you know that it's not his fault, but you still blame him."

"Somewhere, yeah."

"So, what's something we've learned through all these shenanigans?"

"Leave heroism to other people?"

Marinette laughed. "Yes, but also, when something goes wrong in a battle, what do you do?"

"Try something else?"

"Exactly. Don't keep telling yourself it's not his fault. You already know that. Go at it from a different angle."

"Like what?"

"Try forgiving him."

"No offence, but I don't know if that's so easy, either."

"Of course not, but thinking it through logically clearly isn't working."

"But… forgiving him means accepting that he killed her. He didn't."

"Forget about that for now."

"I don't think I can. And… I'm not sure I could forgive anyone for killing Mom, either."

"It's okay. You don't need to do it right now. Just think about it."

* * *

They had a pleasant conversation that day, chatting nearly the entire time Adrien had to be there. He left early, though, replaced by Alya, so that he could start practice in earnest. She got updates on his practices. "Wow, real stages are actually pretty cool. I didn't think that exercise would be so fun." And, "We're making a lot of progress! Houndoom is really talented, so teaching him has been a breeze. Still lots of work to do though!" And, "I think you'll like this part. I wish I could show you but I want it to be a surprise!"

Marinette couldn't help but smile whenever she received one of his messages, but she still felt a bit sad that she hadn't seen too much of him since he talked to her in the hospital. She had been released and was taking care of herself and he was locked in the PR Studio every chance he got, and finding isolated places around the city when he couldn't book a PR room. They met up for lunch, sometimes, but even then he had odd hours, and they'd either eat at a ridiculous time or else he'd be too busy regardless. Often, Marinette worried that he wasn't actually eating properly at all.

Through the week, there were a few attacks, but none that got so far as mega evolving except an ampharos, which her classmates dealt with swiftly. It ended up being so close to where they were training, practically the whole class was present and they managed to stomp it out before Chat Noir even arrived on the scene. He spent the next thirty minutes or so apologizing, but everyone just laughed it off.

Despite looking haggard and like he was surviving off of coffee and willpower most of the times she did see him, he also looked really happy. Happier than she's ever seen him nearly since the attacks started. _He really does just love performing, doesn't he?_ _He still hasn't managed mega evolution, but I think the performance is enough to bring his mind off Plagg, anyway._ Whenever they did meet, he wore a huge grin and he bounced with excitement. The Showcase was also pretty much all he could talk about, to the point that a few of them joked about it being good that he was so busy, since they didn't have to listen to more fun facts and squealing about Showcases. And as the week whizzed by, he only got more excited and more single-minded.

With him distracted, Marinette de facto took over overseeing training, so she wasn't exactly bored like she was in the hospital. But she wasn't as helpful as he would have been, and a lot of the others were better at coming up with strategies, anyway. Still, she managed to make herself useful. Having the most experience in free fights and the time to back off from them gave her a good perspective on what was and wasn't practical. She found a special, almost evil joy in debating strategies that the others came up with. Pointing out all the ways it could go wrong and making them adapt on the spot. Mawile helped train their strength, too, in mock battles.

Overall, the week after the salamence attack was pretty calm. It almost felt back to normal, or whatever their new normal was. Unlike before Manectric and Houndoom, the attacks were still coming, so Marinette didn't have that sudden change weighing on her mind, and with Adrien's occasional but very infectious elation, the rest of the class and she didn't really have much choice but to get excited about what would happen just that Friday. She was out of the hospital and got to spend as much time as she wanted with her friends, and most importantly she was able to take part in what they were doing (always conscious of her injury, of course). Sometimes, she would look at her sketches of Chat Noir's outfit and allow herself to get excited for her own sake, since this was a huge step for her career. Other times, she considered what to do next, including casual clothes for herself and her friends and some sort of way to wear her Key Stone, and let Mawile wear the Mega Stone, assuming no one came to claim them once the one behind the attacks was caught. If she started travelling, like she was considering, she could just wear them openly, but if she stayed in Lumiose, in school, then she thought it might be a good idea to have some way to hide them, at least for a while.

She also followed the case more closely than ever. The police were doing their best, and they were narrowing down suspects. Few of the devices were able to be recovered without breaking them even by the police, so it was tough going as far as evidence, and they still couldn't figure out how the devices were planted or how the pokémon were chosen. No motive, no opportunity. No pattern, except that the targets were all pokémon known to have mega forms.

The day of the Showcase, Marinette was blown away by the scale of the place. Just finding her seat (Tickets split everyone up a little. Adrien and Chloé managed to get enough VIP spots for about half of them, and it was unanimously decided that Marinette, as Ladybug, Alya, as one of the ones who started the class-wide campaign, Chloé, for getting the tickets in the first place, Sabrina, as Chloé's best friend, Nino, as Adrien's best friend, Juleka, as his confidant about Chat Noir, and Rose, as Juleka's girlfriend would get them. Any tickets that they had were given to the rest of the class so they wouldn't have to buy them.) took her almost twenty minutes, and that was with Chloé, who actually knew her way around the place. Not to mention the crowd, which made it difficult even to move. She swore half of Lumiose was packed in there.

But she did find her seat and she held hands with Alya and they both cried at how beautiful the stage was and how wonderful their spot was and how perfect the whole day was and Chloé told them to get it together and stop embarrassing her.

She looked at the program and saw that Adrien was up for the second pre-show and she worried because she didn't get to see him before it started but she trusted that he had everything together. _Please have everything together. Please let Houndoom handle it well._

Once the first performer left the stage and the clapping stopped, Chloé hushed everyone and sat at the edge of her seat. Marinette likewise edged forward, ready to see her friend on stage.

The lights went out. She sucked in a breath. Echoing throughout the massive hall, a haunting, mournful howl with such a piercing overtone she swore the note itself in the air sharpened into a dagger. It didn't hurt her ears, but cut into her heart. _You're going to make me cry in one note, geez._ It almost sounded to her like a single wail in a cacophony of sobbing. _Houndoom._

Flames lit Houndoom's maw and sprayed in a long arc along the stage. A long line stuck in a broad semicircle around them to illuminate Chat Noir and his new outfit. The crowd erupted, which actually did hurt Marinette's ears, though she couldn't pretend she wasn't screaming just as much.

Houndoom took his place on Adrien's left side, and got a scratch on the head, while Plagg came up around Adrien's right, Tikki over his shoulder. On the big screen above the stage, zoomed in on his face, Marinette could see his _smirk_.

The first part of the performance, a smooth, graceful, ballet-like dance, took place with only the fire to illuminate it. The music was likewise gentle and sorrowful and delicate. From there, the change was quick, but gradual. Their movements changed, became more frantic, less careful, and the music lagged behind in the tone change just slightly. Still, every movement was purposeful, every note planned.

When the spotlight turned on, Houndoom, Plagg, and Tikki all flew at him, and he did a complicated looking flip to avoid them. For a moment, all of them were stacked, Houndoom going low, then Tikki, then Adrien, then Plagg leaping over the top. Adrien landed on one foot and the music changed to something more typical Chat Noir, a fast-paced beat with lots of tension that suited his high-energy acrobatic style. Marinette felt an uncomfortably familiar feeling in her gut as he spun and started using less classical techniques, again in a more typical Chat Noir style even dropping and breakdancing in some of the more exciting bits. The pokémon got riled up, too, shooting off attacks that collided and sparkled or exploded, often both. They bounced off of each other, and Marinette, in a moment, realized what was happening. _It's a battle._ She felt almost scared, but not entirely so. Just a taste of what being in the street felt like.

The flames from the first part still caged them in, forcing them to use less of the stage than was actually available, and Marinette assumed that was done on purpose, too, and until the final part of the dance, they stayed in that semi-circle.

And then they broke out. Tikki first, slipping out sneakily and performing a glowing acrobatic routine once free. Then Plagg, cutting through with Night Slash and leaping between the flames. Houndoom bounded through, comfortable with the heat. And Adrien took a step forward flipping over them with ease and a cocky grin. Each of them at a different place around the circle, they dropped and in one big sweep scattered the flames. No longer a perfect frame, but a wild, random collection of carnage.

Marinette couldn't help but think _I bet he's glad for the short sleeves now,_ seeing him making the fire such a central part of the stage. But as it occurred to her, she also noticed something else. The splotchy, discolored, exposed forearm. _It's been wrapped up. I knew it would leave a mark, but I didn't think… well, it's not too bad. Nothing makeup couldn't cover up. Wait, why didn't he cover it up?_

Inside, she knew the answer. She smiled. She cheered as loud as she could.


	42. Showcase

Adrien was ready. He had been practicing all week and he had gotten Houndoom to a really comfortable place and he had everything prepared. He practiced almost exclusively in his stage outfit in the last stretch, got a good sense for the tail (Marinette did a really good job mimicking how his old tail moved, so it was only minor adjustments.), and even had Rocco put them back into the theatre stage with his illusions. A few times, towards the end, he even had them run through the entire performance like that. He was confident. He could do it. His pokémon, even Houndoom, were going to handle it.

When he got to the Showcase, he was blown away. From the moment he stepped in, he was whisked off to where he was needed. People were everywhere, chatting over microphones and ordering scared-looking people around like nobody's business. _Yep, home._ He chuckled a little when people fussed over him, making sure he was ready.

"Oh, dear, you forgot to cover that up."

It took him a while to realize that the woman was talking about his burn. "No, I left it like that. Please don't cover it."

"You sure?" She asked, though she was already distractedly starting on whatever the next task on her list was. He didn't even bother responding, since she was already on her way away from him.

After a few more minutes and a few more people who were supposed to check up on him, people who made him look presentable, an easy task since Adrien already had everything he needed including makeup. The only thing he really let people touch was his hair, which was teased and styled to be as perfectly wild as his persona. The hood went on top, anyway, so he wasn't entirely sure how necessary it was, but they insisted.

And then he was carted off to a waiting room, where he saw a collection of girls, young and old, terrified and confident alike. _They must be the competitors._ Someone greeted him, a former Kalos Queen who was going to perform after him. Another internet star who would perform before him. A few younger girls who told him he inspired them to pursue careers as performers.

He was flattered with all the attention, and had his own moments of being star-struck, so he understood the ones who acted that way towards him. But though everything was bustling, he was getting a pretty significant amount of the attention overall. A few told him he was brave for performing as a man, others that they admire him for fighting the megas in the streets. Others wanted to feel his tail. A lot commented on his new outfit. He made sure to tell them all exactly who designed it. _I hope I don't accidentally send Marinette spiraling into costume design. I know she does a lot of streetwear. But her formal dresses like ugh. I love it._

Soon enough, though, the woman who would perform first was ushered out of the room, and he was swept up moments later, to get in line and prepare for his entrance. He looked to all three performers, released earlier so that the stylists could get at them, kneeling down with them in a huddle. "Alright, no need to be nervous." He looked at Houndoom, who was shaking. "It's just like practice." Plagg flicked his head a little. "You've got this. I know it."

The first performer wrapped up, and he was pushed out onto the stage. It was hard to find the right spot in the pitch dark, but Houndoom and Plagg guided him and he trusted their eyes, adapted as they were for the nighttime. When he got the cue, he started time in his head and tapped Houndoom, who howled.

Plagg shook a little. _Come on, Plagg. Of all of us, I thought you'd have the least stage fright._ He patted Plagg's head and pushed him back gently. Plagg took his spot obediently.

When Houndoom hit the flamethrower, Adrien had to resist cheering along with the crowd. _It's fucking symbolic. Get it?_

He launched into the dance.

It was probably one of the more contact-intensive performances he'd done. His pokémon and him were all over each other, even during the slow part. But it wasn't until the "battle", when the music picked up, that he could really let loose. _One, two, three._ He flipped, avoiding the charges from all of his pokémon, and landed on his toes, swinging his free leg around in a spin that sent him into one of the more wild and complicated series while the music broke down into the upbeat style he preferred.

But not quite. It was fast paced and tense. High-energy, but also high-strung. He knew that the music would get the audience tense in the first place and watching his pokémon bounce off him and attack so closely only augmented the anxiety into a real fear. It was unconventional, outside what would normally be considered permissible, but still legal on stage. Risky, but for what he was going for, rewarding. More than once, the performers recoiled from the fire surrounding them, to bring attention to it.

Houndoom performed beyond expectations. Adrien purposely gave him easier moves, disguised by Tikki's acrobatics and his own big presence, but even the most complicated ones Houndoom pulled off almost perfectly. He lost beat once or twice, but Adrien or the other two brought him back and helped him cover up any slip-ups.

Plagg, however, was more concerning. He was more erratic than he usually was, lashing his tail or being just a touch violent when he made contact or attacked. True to form, then he was using attacks that hit other attacks, the outcome was on point, but if it wasn't essential that he have a very specific amount of power control, Adrien noticed he did things a little forcefully.

He was also stiff. Only the performers and critics would really notice, but Adrien saw. He saw him twitch and shake any moment he had when it seemed appropriate in the performance but Adrien definitely did not plan. He heard him growling deeply in his throat, softly, strained. Adrien struggled to keep his award-winning smirk as he considered how to help.

 _Nothing for it. If it's stage fright… but no, it's getting worse, and Plagg doesn't get nervous practicing in front of smaller crowds. Is this really so different?_

When they finally broke out of the ring of fire and dispersed the circle, taking advantage of the fact that it was a burning chemical, Adrien realized what was happening. Plagg growled audibly, let out a short but pained yowl as he attacked. Something that in the huge stadium would go unnoticed but right next to him on stage was unmistakable. _We need to cut it short._ Luckily, for this performance, since it was live, Adrien planned several cut off points with slightly altered endings so that they could end quickly if things went wrong. _This qualifies. Keep it together Plagg, just a few moments more._

 _Arceus, and we pretend he's not dedicated._

He tapped the floor after breaking the fire cage, a quick triple-tap with his foot, the signal to wrap it up there. When he got the opportunity, he looked over to Houndoom as well, to be sure.

He understood. They wrapped things up quickly, and when the crowd started cheering from their finale, Plagg started breaking down. "Hold on, buddy." He held Plagg by the scruff of his neck as they were escorted off stage, but Plagg was rooted. His growling was loud and the staff who were trying to tell him to move took steps back. "Go!" He yelled to them. He knelt down to Plagg, the crowd forgotten, and starting with his head he brushed his fingers through his friend's fur frantically. _Where is it? Come on, where could they have put it? Damn it! It could have been any time when we were backstage! It could have been anyone! It could be anywhere! Hold together, Plagg. Please, please, please._

Sweat dripped from his nose and he was breathing hard and Tikki joined him in frisking Plagg while Houndoom growled at the people in the front rows. "Go away!" Adrien yelled, translating the general idea for them. "Get out! He's got one of those devices on him somewhere!"

People started to catch on, then, and the evacuation began. Other performers, mostly the older, more experienced ones, rushed to the stage. Plagg thrashed. Adrien only got to his middle before Plagg pushed into him and knocked him over. The other performers' pokémon circled around them, to keep them contained. To keep the audience safe. A second ring formed on the edge of the stage. A double layer of protection for the audience. Adrien got back up. "Come on, come on, come on."

"Fuck, this is all my fault. It had to have been before we went on stage. I should have realized earlier! Shit, shit, shit!" Plagg pushed him away, smashed the floor of the stage with Night Slash, sent a Dark Pulse flying over his head into the crowd of performers and pokémon.

He trusted that they were okay, didn't even look back. He reached again for Plagg, but Plagg caught his arm between his jaws.

Adrien yelled in pain. _My other arm, really?_ And ignored it, twisting Plagg's razor teeth into his own arm as he contorted to reach the pokemon's body with his other hand to continue his search. "It has to be here somewhere. Don't worry, Plagg, I'll find it. I'll get it. Just hold on. Hold on to me. Bite down as hard as you need to, I don't care. It's okay. Hold onto me and I'll find the thing for you. Don't worry."

Plagg did bite down harder. Then he let go and adjusted his grip, sending new spears of pain through Adrien's arm. The pain made his eyes water, which made looking difficult. He just closed them and ducked his head next to Plagg's while he searched by touch with his other hand. "I'm going to find it. Don't worry. It's okay; just bite down. I know it hurts. It's okay, Plagg. You'll be fine. I'll find it."

Plagg let go and threw him off, screaming out a fierce yowl and thrashing about wildly. He hit the ground hard and repeatedly and then his attacks in pure wildness shifted upwards to the ring of performers. They all prepared to pounce.

Adrien wiped his eyes, of sweat and tears and screamed. "No! I'll do it! Houndoom! Tikki!"

"Mawile!"

"Arcanine!"

"Noivern!"

"Sylveon!"

So many voices cried out at once that Adrien missed most of them, but he recognized them all as his friends. All of them and their pokémon broke through the circle of performers and jumped in.

"Wait!" He yelled. Houndoom tackled Plagg. His classmates all stood by on his order. Tikki came from above and slammed Plagg's head to the ground. Adrien stumbled to his feet and rushed forward, skidding to a stop by Plagg and resuming his frenzied search. Tikki wasn't big enough to hold him down, but Houndoom had him pinned by the neck and was wrestling with his front paws. Plagg's hind claws dug into Adrien's legs but he didn't care, he just kept searching.

Plagg got a good kick in when Adrien was leaning too close, one claw catching his cheek and the other paw his chest, flinging him away. Someone caught him. _Ivan?_ And he rushed back to Plagg's side.

Plagg broke free from Houndoom and started glowing.

Adrien fell to his knees and skidded to a stop inches from Plagg's new mega evolved form.

That was the breaking point. Orders or not, his classmates stepped in there, determined, he was sure, not to let him hurt himself any more. With Plagg mega evolved, it would be too dangerous.

Someone pulled him back, dragging him away from Plagg. He struggled, but whoever it was had an iron grip on him. Plagg was dogpiled on. Mawile, mega evolved herself, jumped in first, taking the brunt of Plagg's instinctive Night Slash reaction and clamping her jaws on him. Arcanine used her bulk to force Plagg down, but even then, she still needed Houndoom, Ivan's zangoose, and Alix's pangoro to actually force him to his knees. While he was mostly pinned, Alastair came up and put his mouth to Plagg's head, a Draining Kiss to weaken him.

"Stop it!" Adrien yelled. _Someone, somewhere watched as we did this to their pokémon._ "It's not his fault!"

"Chat, please!" Juleka at his side.

"We know, we don't have a choice." Ivan behind him. Holding him back.

 _It's not his fault. It's not! It's the stupid, evil person behind these devices. It's the fucking world! Not Plagg!_ The words he screamed only made sense in his head. His mouth wasn't on the same page.

 _Stop hurting him! Stop blaming him when it's not his fault!_ Adrien was burning. Every sweat drop falling from his chin was a searing inferno. He was angry, furious. "Not my friend!"

He was livid. At the pokémon treating Plagg like an enemy, even though he did know deep down that it was necessary. He had been in that position. With any other pokémon, he probably would be there. But not with Plagg. He was livid at himself, for blaming Plagg for his mother, for not being able to do anything earlier, for not realizing until it was too late, for not stopping the performance earlier, for making other trainers feel what he was. At whoever made those devices, whoever _dared_ put one on Plagg.

Plagg, amazingly, broke free from the mountain of pokémon holding him down. He sent Dark Pulse throughout the whole building, its secondary form instead of the beam. It threw most of the pokémon off, as well as most of the people including Ivan who landed on his back and released Adrien on impact. The room darkened to near black.

"Adrien, please, calm down! They'll handle it like they always do!" Juleka yelled, grabbing him before he could rush back to the melee. A few of the performers helped her hold him. "Let go! It's not his fault!"

"No one's blaming him, Adrien! But he's dangerous right now, and you're not thinking straight."

"I don't care! He's my responsibility. I'm supposed to take care of him! I need to-"

"You need to stop!"

"Y'all do!"

"Adrien!"

Helplessly, Adrien watched Plagg get battered. Still, he rampaged. People and pokémon alike were thrown all over by a Stone Edge. Night Slash fended off anyone brave enough to approach his front, but he was surrounded. They blindsided him. _Stop! It's not fair!_ They jumped him. _He doesn't deserve it! It's not his fault._ They closed their jaws around his neck. _He didn't fucking kill anyone! He's not a disaster!_

Adrien couldn't get close. Every time he broke out of people's grasp, two more caught him. People blocked him, blocked his view, his path.

He couldn't do anything. So he ran.

He sprinted away from the fight, backstage and down into the holding room for the performers. Girls jumped and screamed when he blew in, and he knew he must have been a frightening sight. Ragged and torn. Marinette's beautiful and thoughtful design only tatters on his bloodied frame. And to make matters worse he barged in with all the grace of a dunsparce, leaving a trail of blood everywhere he went. But he ignored them and slid to his bag, falling over as he grabbed it. He jumped back to his feet, legs, arms, head burning, and sprinted back to the stage. Back to Plagg.

When he tore through the curtain, Plagg had somehow gained the upper hand. He turned to Adrien. Adrien pulled out Plagg's Mega Stone. "Hey! It's okay, buddy! It'll be okay! I'll help you." He reared back and pitched the stone towards Plagg.

Plagg deftly jumped out of the way, but Kim's staraptor swooped down and plucked it out of the air. Everyone jumped once more on Plagg. With the heaviest pokémon keeping him down, Staraptor landed carefully on Plagg's side, touching the Mega Stone to him.

"Please, please, please. Plagg, I know you can hear me! You'll be okay, I swear!"

The Key Stone was softly glowing before Adrien even dropped the bag. It got brighter, and brighter, until Adrien couldn't even see Plagg through the light. He held it out straight in front of him. "It's okay. It's okay, Plagg. You're okay. It's not your fault."

Adrien couldn't see, but he heard the sounds of struggle fade. He heard the grunts and the yowls and the screams stop. For a brief moment, all there was in the world was a fading after-image of Plagg, blinding white, and silence.

And then the glow faded. It took a minute for Adrien's vision to return, but when it did, he saw Houndoom carefully nudging Plagg and Tikki perched on his head. He saw wings of fur and a massive, curved horn.

He didn't spare a moment. He skidded to Plagg's side and ran his fingers through his fur and finally, _finally_ , found the little silver device on the inside of one of Plagg's hind legs.

He broke it in half in his own hands, the edges cutting into his fingers where the gloves didn't extend far enough to cover. Then he threw it on the ground and stomped on it viciously, repeatedly.

Adrien kicked it away and hugged Plagg tight. "I'm so sorry, Plagg. I'm so sorry. I should have noticed earlier, I'm so, so, so, so sorry."

Plagg returned to his normal form in a burst of light. He was already sleeping.


	43. Coda

"He did it." Marinette breathed. "He figured it out." She didn't know how or what exactly triggered it, but what Adrien did was unmistakably mega evolution. She didn't know he could do that, use the stones after Plagg had already been forced to the mega form, but she witnessed it.

 _The missing factor. The trainer. These devices can force the form change, but without a trainer and the bond between them, it hurts the pokémon. It would make sense that the bond can be made after the form change itself._

After a few minutes, Nino and Juleka managed to peel Adrien off of Plagg, his snowy fur stained red with Adrien's blood. Marinette had to close her eyes. Adrien had cuts everywhere. Most of them, thank heavens, didn't seem deep or severe, but the one on his cheek was bleeding a lot and his arm was just a fleshy red mass and his legs were striated and tattered and his chest had three red wells of blood shining through the holes in his clothes.

He was quiet and complacent after it ended, though. When the paramedics came, after he was removed from Plagg anyway, he walked away with them without a word, casting a glance backwards to Nino and Juleka, who asked after his pokéballs. One of the attendants brought them out, and the two returned all of Adrien's pokémon. Marinette returned Mawile. Other pokémon all over were withdrawn one by one. Marinette walked forward carefully, to avoid the craters in the stage and the glistening blood that was spattered throughout it so as not to slip and accidentally exacerbate her injury again.

When she reached Nino, he just looked up at her with huge eyes, Plagg's pokéball in his hand, and without standing wrapped his arms around her waist. He was gentle, careful not to touch the wound on her abdomen, but holding her close. She moved his arm and knelt to hug him properly.

Alya ran after Adrien, insisting on not leaving his side. Chloé talked with management, Sabrina ever at her side, asking about where Adrien would be taken and when everyone could go see him and what would happen to Plagg.

Rose hugged Juleka, shielding her eyes in her girlfriend's shoulder, but Juleka looked out over Rose with a firm, grim expression. She seemed unable to look away.

Even the others, Alix and Nathanaël held hands and bowed their heads, Kim and Max shared a look and quietly removed themselves from the scene, Ivan cradled Mylène, holding her to his chest so she wouldn't have to look and trying awkwardly to keep the blood that got on his hands when he held Adrien from getting on her.

The performers, Marinette didn't know who they were or whether Adrien might have known their names, quietly moved to the back to allow them their space, filing backstage in silence with their heads down, a few of them holding hands or touching the shoulder of another.

For a while, no one moved.

"Guys!" Chloé called. "I know where they're taking Adrien. I called my dad and he'll arrange a car for us all."

"Thanks, Chloé." Marinette said.

"Come on." Chloé's hands on her shoulders guided her and Nino up and off the stage. "It'll pick us up out back." The others trailed behind them as they marched.

* * *

When they arrived at the hospital, Adrien was getting stiches for some of the worst cuts, so they all had to wait to see him. When he did come out and see everyone sitting around, he just walked up to Marinette and apologized for ruining the outfit.

Marinette laughed. "The outfit you paid for? It's yours, Adrien, to preserve or destroy as you want."

"I didn't want to rip it, though…" He mumbled.

"Do you want me to make another one? Because you will have to pay for that."

He examined the tatters, in a bag since he was changed into clean clothes. "Uh, maybe. I'll have to think about it. For now if I have to go Chat Noir I think I want to stick to my old hoodie."

"Your new hoodie that I made for you when your old hoodie was burned."

"Yeah, that."

Marinette giggled. "But really." The laugh died. "Are you okay?" He shook his head. "Yeah, didn't think so."

Nino brought over Adrien's pokéballs, and he cradled them in his hands like they were fragile little eggs.

"I want to go home." He said. Everyone nodded, hugged him, and let him walk out the door.

Marinette escorted him. Even when Chloé offered the car, he just shook his head and said he'd rather walk. Chloé frowned and said she'd get everyone home. "Go with him." She said. So Marinette did.

"I found another way." He said quietly when they were alone.

"Hmm?"

"I didn't forgive Plagg for something he didn't do. I looked at it from another perspective. Tried something different. Like you said."

"What did you do?"

"I blamed the thing that really killed her. The sickness. Chance. Maybe some god, I don't know. I just know it's bigger than Plagg, and I'm blaming that instead."

"What changed?"

"When I saw him like that, you guys fighting him when he couldn't help himself, all I could think was 'it's not his fault'. I thought, it's that person's fault. Whoever is behind the devices. It's their fault. And I hate them, not Plagg. With Mom, it was the same thing. I just… realized that, somewhere in there."

"Well, it worked. You saved Plagg."

Adrien smiled, just a ghostly wisp of one, but it was there all the same. "Yeah. I guess I did help, didn't I?"

"Help? Adrien, you did it. If anything, we were the ones who just helped."

"Speaking of, what did the doctor say about heroics, Mari?"

Marinette blushed. "I was careful!"

"Since when?"

"I've always been more careful than _you_."

"Yeah but no awards for that, it's not exactly an achievement."

Marinette snorted. "For your information, I was behind the wall the whole time. I sent Mawile in and stayed back myself like with Salamence."

"Yeah, like with Salamence, when you climbed onto the roof of the hospital and started organizing rescue services."

"Okay, I admit, not my best example. But I was safe. I was just nearby, not in the action."

"Mhmm, if you say so, my lady. But still I think you should be more careful."

"That's rich from the kitten with more stitches than the clothes he's wearing."

He chuckled happily that time, a rumbling one in his throat. "Okay, well with these I can't fight for a while either, so why don't we both agree to be super careful – and by super careful I do mean by our standards – until we're healed?"

"So, like, about as careful as a normal person?"

"Yeah, basically."

"Okay, deal."

Adrien put an arm around her shoulder. She blushed but smiled and reached up to touch his arm. "I noticed you didn't bandage this before the performance."

"Hm? Oh, that. Yeah, I thought people should see it. Especially since I was performing with Houndoom. It's kind of weird. I'm a model; I should probably be freaking out about this."

"You're not?"

"Not really. I mean, even as a performer I'm not really supposed to have blemishes like this, but…"

Marinette hummed. "You're still kind of weird about it?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I've really processed that there's a chance these marks won't ever go away."

"Tell me about it." She put a hand over her abdomen. "Do you think boys will think a scar like this is badass or will it just scare them away?"

Adrien laughed for real, then, a loud, boisterous one. "Both, probably, but you are both badass and scary so I say at least they know what they're in for."

"I am not scary!"

"Yes ma'am, of course not."

"Adrien!"

"What? You have the whole adorable pink girl thing going on but I know you better than that. No one who stabs themselves with a needle over and over again and thinks 'wow, this is a totally fun and good thing I'm doing, I should make it my career' is not a little scary."

"Fashion design is more than just stabbing yourself with a needle."

"Mhmm, maybe I'll believe you when you go more than a week at school without band-aids over your fingers."

"I put them on first so I _don't_ stab myself, and then I forget to take them off!"

"So, you admit you're just stabbing yourself."

"Adrien!"

He giggled. "And your team? Anyone who isn't rightly afraid of you is terrified of them."

"What about them? They're cute!"

Adrien actually stopped and raised his eyebrows at her. "Mari. Really?"

"Yeah! Every single one of them! And I will not hear this slander."

"Mari, you have a giant spider."

"Who is cute."

"And a pokémon who's body is basically just fifty hundred blades."

"Who is cute."

"A literal ghost."

She grit her teeth. "Who. Is. Cute."

Adrien held his hand up in defeat. "Woah, okay, totally-not-scary lady."

Marinette blushed and turned away, crossing her arms as Adrien chuckled and they continued on their way. She gently rubbed her abdomen through her clothes. "Do you really think it'll scare boys away?"

Adrien rubbed her shoulder. "Not any smart ones."

Marinette bit her lip and held back her grin.

"What about me?"

"What about you?"

"You think the scars will scare away the boys?"

"Honey, with that face?" Adrien blushed and covered his face with his free hand. Marinette laughed. "Did I sound like Alya?"

"A little."

"Seriously, though, is the model Adrien Agreste and superstar performer Chat Noir actually worried about attracting boys?"

He hummed, regaining his composure. "You know, you're right. What about girls?"

"Oh, girls, no." She shook her head. "Not likely."

Adrien laughed. When they both quieted down, he worried his lip for a moment. "I'm not really ready for a relationship right now, so like I guess it's not so important at the moment, you know? But… I would like one eventually. I know you were joking, but it actually does worry me. Not the scars, necessarily, but like, what they might have seen. On TV. Rocco and today and…" He ducked his head.

"Adrien." He raised his eyes to meet hers. "Anyone who's smart will get you the moment you're available."

"You're saying you'd date me?"

Marinette blushed. "Wait, what?"

Adrien cackled. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Don't answer that, I was just teasing." Marinette just covered her face. "You are smart, though, so by your own admission…"

"You have one chance to stop talking."

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry."

Marinette shook her head. "And anyway, I thought we were through this. Us, Alya, and Nino are all getting married, remember? I don't have much choice."

"Oh, man, I almost forgot about that. At least I don't need to worry. I know you guys aren't marrying me just for my looks."

Marinette scoffed. "Speak for yourself."

"Mari! I'm hurt."

"Oh, come on, only joking. Your personality is almost as nice as your looks."

"Oh, almost."

"You're a very pretty boy."

"Thank you?"

"You're welcome."

They both shared a laugh and continued bantering all the way to Adrien's home. At his front gate, he invited her in. "I kind of just don't want to do it." He admitted. "Both going in and talking to Plagg."

Marinette smiled. "Of course I'll stay. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. Honestly, I think I was mostly just scared. Now that I've calmed down it's a bit easier to process."

"I understand. That must have been really hard."

Adrien chuckled bashfully. "Hey, at least we finished the performance?"

"You did, and I'm proud of you. We never mentioned it because of Plagg, but you did a really amazing job. I loved it."

"Ahh," Adrien buried his face in his hands. "I'm so glad. I was scared with it being my first live show and everything. We couldn't just do a retake if we messed up."

"I mean," Marinette chuckled, "you brought the house down."

"Marinette! That is so beyond inappropriate!"

"You're laughing, though!"

"I am. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Adrien." A cool, calm voice, one that in their states, Marinette and Adrien would never be able to imitate, came from behind the still-closed gate. Marinette and Adrien both looked up at Gabriel Agreste. He stared down at them for a few long, painful seconds. "It… appears you were right about that houndoom." Adrien perked up. "But your behavior at the showcase was beyond unacceptable." He lowered his head. "But I'm just glad you're okay. Make sure your absol is okay, as well, before anything else." He turned away to go back inside but stopped. "I know I can't stop you from doing this, but please be more careful." Adrien smiled. His father frowned. "It's hard to focus on my work when you're being reckless."

 _Wow, sure saved face there, Mister Agreste. Way to go, you. It would be such a shame if we were to think you actually cared._

"Come on." Adrien said, guiding her into the building and up to his room. "So, what's our next move?"

"Aside from talking to Plagg?"

"I mean the attacks. We have to put an end to them, right? And honestly, I kind of want to put an end to whoever did this to Plagg."

"Adrien!"

He looked confused for a moment. "Oh! No, not like- I meant like put an end to their operation. To what they're doing. Not- no. No."

Marinette laughed. "The investigation is with the police. We can't do much until then."

"They have a list of suspects, don't they?"

"Yeah?"

"Won't this help them narrow it down? Plagg wasn't out of the pokéball today at all except for backstage, and I gave him a bath last night, so it had to have been planted on him sometime from when I got there to when we got on stage."

"We can hope that it helps. You told them that?"

"Of course."

"Alya will keep an eye on it. I'm sure we'll have a prime suspect in no time at all."

Adrien sighed. "I hope so. I know it's bad, but I really want to make them pay."

"And by pay, you mean…"

"Well, what better revenge than dismantling whatever twisted plot they have myself?"

"That's just the kind of soft revenge I would expect from you."

"Soft revenge?"

"Yeah, you're getting your revenge by doing literally nothing you would not have done anyway."

Adrien chuckled. "I guess. Still."

"It's good though. I'll help."

"Only so long as you don't push yourself. You're still injured."

"As are you."

"Fair enough." He pulled out Plagg's pokéball and sighed. "What am I supposed to do with him?"

"Give him a hug? Ask if mega evolution is a thing he's okay doing, for future fights? Tell him he did great in the performance?"

"All of the above?"

"Or that."

He let Plagg out of the pokéball. Since the class had stopped at the Pokemon Center for a moment on their way to the hospital Adrien was being seen at, Plagg had been cleaned and when he came out, he looked tired but no more irritated than any other time. "Hey buddy."

Plagg wailed dramatically and laid down. Adrien shook his head. "Well, glad to see you're okay. I'm proud of you, you know. You did great in the performance." Plagg scowled, not meeting their gazes. "I mean it. Especially since you had that thing on you, you stuck it through and that was really just so cool."

"And, um, whenever you're comfortable, if you're ever comfortable, I'd like to try mega evolving you again. I think it might work now, and we can fight even better than before!"

Plagg thumped his tail on the ground a few times and got up nonchalantly. He rummaged through Adrien's bag, left on the floor, and pulled out the Mega Stone and sat patiently in front of them. Adrien hesitated. "Are you sure? So soon?"

Plagg rolled his eyes. Adrien shrugged. "If you say so." He slipped the Key Stone out of his pocket. "Plagg, mega evolve."

The stones lit up like Christmas lights, and dazzled like the sun. A moment later, Marinette found herself looking at a disinterested-looking mega absol examining himself. "Oh, Plagg." She muttered, shaking her head.

Adrien cheered, laughed, gave Plagg a big hug and didn't let go even when Plagg started faking gagging.

Marinette giggled at the sight, content that they had one more tool, one that might even shift the fight in their favor, to count on before they could all finally stop fighting for good. _It won't be long now. The police will find whoever did this and we can all start moving on._

Adrien released Houndoom and Tikki and Marinette put a hand on his shoulder and smiled as he hugged them and told them how wonderful they all did and how proud he was of them all.

 _Not much longer now, and this will be over._


End file.
